Fat Ivor's

Definitely like the improvements to the space! Good music and good service. Dorinda always does a great job.

Awesome staff super helpful and friendly! They work hard as heck so make sure you tip them right and theyll treat you right! Big shoutout to the bartender Heather for helping me out when I was there for trivia on Tuesday!

I love this place. Good thing I don't live nearby or I would be very fat. Can get very busy during prime time. Parking lot can fill up. A comprehensive menu of healthy and Hardy food served homestyle. Alcohol and draft beer available. Small but not too small. I wish there were more places like this. I'll go there every time I'm in town.

I had the all you can eat ribs. They were bigger than I thought so I ate obviously less than half a rack, but they were delicious! Fell off the bone so beautifully and is absolutely delicious with the BBQ sauce! I can be picky with ribs but these are amazing, an absolute gem here!

Newly updated with a new menu. Happy hour appetizer was great. Grilled chicken sandwhich and BBQ pork sandwhich were both really good. Nice atmosphere, good drinks, and good music

Great food..bbq is outstanding. Place is a bit outdated but going through a renovating..

Awesome dining experience. The hospitality was off the measuring chart. I don't think I've ever seen such friendly people. And the food was awesome. I ordered the all-you-can-eat beef ribs and they were fantastic. I can't wait for my next visit to try out the prime rib. Prices, atmosphere, service, everything was A+ I wish I had more pictures to post but I ate the food so fast I didn't get a chance to take any.

My husband and I came for Lunch. We ordered the 1/2 rack of baby back pork ribs combination plate, and a side of two bbq beef ribs. The beef ribs were our favorite! Both were very tender and delicious, but the beef ribs had a better smoked bbq flavor. We chose the beans and coleslaw for our sides, and they were just okay. It was fairly busy for a Friday at lunchtime, but our wait time wasn't bad. Our waitress was friendly and attentive.

I was disappointed upon learning that I couldn't order the beef ribs without sauce (as a ketovore I don't eat sugar/carbs, lost 100 pounds and maintained for 3 years thriving) but was grateful to learn that the poem ribs can and were ordered without sauce, they were delicious with salt pepper and Tapatio (my go to sauce 👍🏼💯❤️) with my ribs I had a nice little side salad and coleslaw. We shared the mushroom appetizer and those were simply delicious.💯 Our server was great, she was charming and knowledgeable about the Establishment, the menu and the local area. ❤️ There is a full bar. We look forward to returning and exploring the menu further. 👍🏼💯❤️☮️ Hope they offer the beef ribs without sauce! 💯👍🏼✊🏼

Friendly service, cheap food, and 12 minutes from Harrah's Socal. Atmosphere is very casual. Ribeye was cooked perfectly medium, seasoned well, and had a heavy char (subjective on whether you like that). Rice is seasoned (maybe chicken bouillon?) and goes well with the steak. The pot of mushrooms and fried zucchini are both solid options for vegetarians

Kitty Serna

I had the all you can eat ribs. They were bigger than I thought so I ate obviously less than half a rack, but they were delicious! Fell off the bone so beautifully and is absolutely delicious with the BBQ sauce! I can be picky with ribs but these are amazing, an absolute gem here!

Erin L

Newly updated with a new menu. Happy hour appetizer was great. Grilled chicken sandwhich and BBQ pork sandwhich were both really good. Nice atmosphere, good drinks, and good music

Genevieve Martinez

Great food..bbq is outstanding. Place is a bit outdated but going through a renovating..

Fred Long

Awesome dining experience. The hospitality was off the measuring chart. I don't think I've ever seen such friendly people. And the food was awesome. I ordered the all-you-can-eat beef ribs and they were fantastic. I can't wait for my next visit to try out the prime rib. Prices, atmosphere, service, everything was A+ I wish I had more pictures to post but I ate the food so fast I didn't get a chance to take any.

charlene birdsall

My husband and I came for Lunch. We ordered the 1/2 rack of baby back pork ribs combination plate, and a side of two bbq beef ribs. The beef ribs were our favorite! Both were very tender and delicious, but the beef ribs had a better smoked bbq flavor. We chose the beans and coleslaw for our sides, and they were just okay. It was fairly busy for a Friday at lunchtime, but our wait time wasn't bad. Our waitress was friendly and attentive.

Sean McHugh

I was disappointed upon learning that I couldn't order the beef ribs without sauce (as a ketovore I don't eat sugar/carbs, lost 100 pounds and maintained for 3 years thriving) but was grateful to learn that the poem ribs can and were ordered without sauce, they were delicious with salt pepper and Tapatio (my go to sauce 👍🏼💯❤️) with my ribs I had a nice little side salad and coleslaw. We shared the mushroom appetizer and those were simply delicious.💯 Our server was great, she was charming and knowledgeable about the Establishment, the menu and the local area. ❤️ There is a full bar. We look forward to returning and exploring the menu further. 👍🏼💯❤️☮️ Hope they offer the beef ribs without sauce! 💯👍🏼✊🏼

Richard L

Friendly service, cheap food, and 12 minutes from Harrah's Socal. Atmosphere is very casual. Ribeye was cooked perfectly medium, seasoned well, and had a heavy char (subjective on whether you like that). Rice is seasoned (maybe chicken bouillon?) and goes well with the steak. The pot of mushrooms and fried zucchini are both solid options for vegetarians

This place is a terrific local restaurant. Just replaced with new owners who are locals to Valley Center. The atmosphere is awesome 27 new TVs!! Every sports game you could think is on the TVs including UFC! Bring your family and friends and check out this family friendly restaurant in Valley Center California. Specializing with all the ribs you can eat!

Stopped by for some lunch and a drink. They did NOT disappoint! The bbq was fall off the bone juicy and delicious. We will be back for sure!!!

Melissa Jarrell

Stopped by for some lunch and a drink. They did NOT disappoint! The bbq was fall off the bone juicy and delicious. We will be back for sure!!!

V A

Awesome staff super helpful and friendly! They work hard as heck so make sure you tip them right and theyll treat you right! Big shoutout to the bartender Heather for helping me out when I was there for trivia on Tuesday!

mark kettl

This place is a terrific local restaurant. Just replaced with new owners who are locals to Valley Center. The atmosphere is awesome 27 new TVs!! Every sports game you could think is on the TVs including UFC! Bring your family and friends and check out this family friendly restaurant in Valley Center California. Specializing with all the ribs you can eat!

Phil bbq wasn’t open yet so gotta try something new. Found this place n give it a try. They only serve beef rib on Friday n Saturday only. 3 beef ribs plus frys are only $16.99 so can’t beat that. Meat are good but sauce is so so.

This is my first time at Fat Ivor's and I have to say that the service was good even though they were short staffed, and had a new cook. Myself and cousin got the all you can eat beef ribs. Mine was excellent and my cousin was not so good as well as nephew pork chops were over cooked. All in all I would recommend this place to anyone in the area, and I recommend that you go before 8pm. The prices are right.

I felt like this place is a staple in the community. I was passing through and stopped for lunch. Staff was great, food was good - I ordered ribs and they hit the spot.

We ate on Friday night , which was karaoke night. The bar crowd was really into it. Our ribs were so good!!

Not my dietary preferences but it was a fun place. The waitress was phenomenal how she managed us all very well!

Went in for lunch. Husband and I both had ribs, they just fell off the bone. We had the most Pleasant attentive bartender she was great What I don't understand is the strange pricing for a margarita

all you can eat ribs. very generous. i only added one more rib and my stomach was more than full. prefer sauce on side if can. server was great and friendly

Okay so hole in the wall little restaurant, bar atmosphere, wood paneling, but normally these places are outstanding and very much a locals place. Food, Ribs outstanding, do to quality and the person cooking them, perfect. Sauce average at best not much flavor, fries good, slaw not much flavor, beans not much flavor. Including Soda and tip $30 for one. Note this is the all you can eat, you wont wat much there is so much on each bone. All in all it was a nice change, dont want to step on toes but think they should try a sampling of flavors. The picture looks great so the presentation is good.ll

C. Wise

Went in for lunch. Husband and I both had ribs, they just fell off the bone. We had the most Pleasant attentive bartender she was great What I don't understand is the strange pricing for a margarita

Auntie next door

all you can eat ribs. very generous. i only added one more rib and my stomach was more than full. prefer sauce on side if can. server was great and friendly

New Owner is working very hard. Its no longer a quiet dive bar where only the aged locals eat. It is now to all ages where cowboy saloon meets neon atmosphere. Karaoke on weekends. Right on. The Tri-Tip sandwich was dry but came with life-saving Au Jus. The waitresses was missing in action but the owner was making rounds and was friendly.

steven novak

We ate on Friday night , which was karaoke night. The bar crowd was really into it. Our ribs were so good!!

Lucas M. G.

New Owner is working very hard. Its no longer a quiet dive bar where only the aged locals eat. It is now to all ages where cowboy saloon meets neon atmosphere. Karaoke on weekends. Right on. The Tri-Tip sandwich was dry but came with life-saving Au Jus. The waitresses was missing in action but the owner was making rounds and was friendly.

Can't wait until they start making their bleu cheese salad dressing again. Food was good. Love their fried shrimp!

Bartender was friendly. The server on shift was so lost in the sauce that she would be a better fit working at Walmart handing out stickers. Good Lord, I hope our country has better DNA than the latest generation. Food was good. Bar tender was sexy. A very local place. If you go, set at the bar.

Have come here since they opened, best ribs, worth the 40 mile round trip drive. But this week, ribs didn't fall off the bone like normal, wondering if they changed. Plus went from $19 to $28. No longer the deal. I blame minimum wage hike, but quality has gone down.

Great set up, service was okay. Waitress never refilled my soda even though we were there two hours. She outright said no when we asked about grilled onions and had to ask her to check with the cook. Food is getting better not back to the standards that it stated with. Get some servers that love their job and want to be there.

I always hate leaving negative reviews on small local businesses but i so believe maybe owners will read these and learn from them. my husband and I went here for the first time tonight and we definitely expected more from a rib house. The ribs were dry and Bland tasted like they had just cooked them for a few hours and then slapped some barbecue sauce on them. Cmon chef! You guys can do better! Slow roast those ribs and get them seasoned

A great San Diego restaurant is a shell of its former self. Service was great. Food was bland. Tri Tip sandwich.....bland and tri tip over cooked. Pork ribs super tender but smothered in heavy BBQ sauce. Beans bland, even salad was wilty. French Fries were delicious, tho.! And no scoop of ice cream or piece of cake/ pie for birthday celebration (our reason for going in the first place) If we are ever in the area again, we will return but not going out of our way to go there. Sorry Fat Ivors.

Tried Fat Ivor’s for the first time yesterday. There was a sign letting you know that you could seat yourself. When we walked inside, it was pretty busy but we were still able to find a table right away. We were greeted by our server and had our drink order taken relatively quickly. We ordered the pretzel bites as an appetizer and those were really tasty. The menu says that they come with a side of honey mustard, but we received some warm queso as a dip instead, which was preferred since my husband hates mustard lol. I ordered myself a grilled chicken wrap & my husband ordered some kind of bbq beef sandwich. The server let us know that the kitchen was backed up, so there would be a bit of a wait for the food, which was alright with us. When we got our food, I noticed that the chicken wrap I ordered was really hot. For some reason I thought that the wrap would be cold. My husband devoured his food but he did say that his sandwich was pretty bland unfortunately. I do have to agree and say that the chicken in my wrap was pretty bland as well. There was no kind of sauce in the wrap. It was just a tortilla, grilled chicken, some cheese and wilted lettuce. The tots that were given as a side were really good though. The servers were all very kind, which was nice!

Saddened to leave a 3 star review for what was one of our favorite local resturants to support ... I believe they are under new management and going through a transition period. We waited over 30 minutes for my husband 'all you can eat beef ribs' that he requests every year on his birthday, special event etc. The price went up to $45 ... which would have been completely fine if they were the same mouth watering ribs as before ... unfortunately they were burnt and after being served 5 ribs he was told 'this is everything we have so thats it' and the reason was 'they were cooked on thursday and its Sunday so we ran out' Waitress was very nice in offering to make it right. Brought out a burger instead, and it was so delish. Still love the local vibe, just dissapointed in tonight's experience. Will give it another shot after the new management has settled in.

The potato skins here used to be my absolute favorite. Even when the owners first changed - they were still large in size and delicious. Literally my favorite thing to order. They remain the same $13 price tag today but have now become the smallest potato skins I have ever had. While tasty, it was absolutely not what it used to be and sure didn't feel worth the price. I'm so sad my favorite spot for this appetizer changed like this. Aside from foid quality changes, at least the waiters and waitresses were kind as always.

Marina Sanchez

The potato skins here used to be my absolute favorite. Even when the owners first changed - they were still large in size and delicious. Literally my favorite thing to order. They remain the same $13 price tag today but have now become the smallest potato skins I have ever had. While tasty, it was absolutely not what it used to be and sure didn't feel worth the price. I'm so sad my favorite spot for this appetizer changed like this. Aside from foid quality changes, at least the waiters and waitresses were kind as always.

Alana Gudehus

Saddened to leave a 3 star review for what was one of our favorite local resturants to support ... I believe they are under new management and going through a transition period. We waited over 30 minutes for my husband 'all you can eat beef ribs' that he requests every year on his birthday, special event etc. The price went up to $45 ... which would have been completely fine if they were the same mouth watering ribs as before ... unfortunately they were burnt and after being served 5 ribs he was told 'this is everything we have so thats it' and the reason was 'they were cooked on thursday and its Sunday so we ran out' Waitress was very nice in offering to make it right. Brought out a burger instead, and it was so delish. Still love the local vibe, just dissapointed in tonight's experience. Will give it another shot after the new management has settled in.

Emalie Eaton

Tried Fat Ivor’s for the first time yesterday. There was a sign letting you know that you could seat yourself. When we walked inside, it was pretty busy but we were still able to find a table right away. We were greeted by our server and had our drink order taken relatively quickly. We ordered the pretzel bites as an appetizer and those were really tasty. The menu says that they come with a side of honey mustard, but we received some warm queso as a dip instead, which was preferred since my husband hates mustard lol. I ordered myself a grilled chicken wrap & my husband ordered some kind of bbq beef sandwich. The server let us know that the kitchen was backed up, so there would be a bit of a wait for the food, which was alright with us. When we got our food, I noticed that the chicken wrap I ordered was really hot. For some reason I thought that the wrap would be cold. My husband devoured his food but he did say that his sandwich was pretty bland unfortunately. I do have to agree and say that the chicken in my wrap was pretty bland as well. There was no kind of sauce in the wrap. It was just a tortilla, grilled chicken, some cheese and wilted lettuce. The tots that were given as a side were really good though. The servers were all very kind, which was nice!

Service was awesome, food was great. We got the all you can eat ribs, except for my son. My son had chicken tenders and fries. My brother, his fiance and I, all have the runs. We went yesterday and I'm still taking a trip to the toilet every 2 hours. Hope it was just bad luck and not something like improper food handling.

Waitress and service was great, but the food disappointed. Tri tip sandwich and beef ribs were bland, like there was no bbq sauce or seasoning on them. Same with beans- bland, no flavor. Coleslaw was super soft and tasted like it was made a week ago. French fries was great. Atmosphere was great, friendly place.

Aleksandra Troester

Waitress and service was great, but the food disappointed. Tri tip sandwich and beef ribs were bland, like there was no bbq sauce or seasoning on them. Same with beans- bland, no flavor. Coleslaw was super soft and tasted like it was made a week ago. French fries was great. Atmosphere was great, friendly place.

DO NOT GET THE ALL U CAN EAT RIBS🤮🤮ALL FAT BARELY ANY MEAT N REALLY REALLY GREASY!!! The lone bright spot was our server.

So me and the girlfriend stopped by last night 3/10/23 about 730 pm. Been a few years since I been here. So we got a table pretty quick. The building/ restaurant was redone from the way it was years ago before their FIRE.. So we had a young girl take our order. Everything seemed or was nice. Now I remember the food being ALOT BIGGER and MORE per plate back in the day. Hell we all heard wording that it was fantastic food. So when our order showed up, the onion rings looked like they were burnt, the fish and chips (COD) looked like store bought Van De Camps fish you buy in the grocery store. The coleslaw was dry, and no coleslaw sauce to make it taste homely, and to temp your taste buds for more Honestly I don't think this was anything special. I heard and even tasted food better back in the day. This sad to say wasn't any of that. I've had beer battered fish I make at home much MUCH BIGGER and BETTER. So I wouldn't waste a dime here for the plate of food you get here. I really thought this would have been better since its been a few years. Sadly NOT !!

I've been going there for many years.. It was an amazing place to go,, forever! Over the last year we have only been three times hoping to get a better meal. It's just not the same, we asked for mushrooms on our burger the kid had to ask permission . He returned and said we can't do that sir. I know it's not the workers, it's the owner. I miss the originals! If they don't shape up their going to loose their footing, well maybe they are counting on the new crowd coming in not noticing how bad they got !

I been in valley center all my life fat ivory used to have the best SMOKED ribs went recently with my family very disappointed the ribs are not smoked this place is disgusting I would rather stay home smoke my own ribs .

It ain't hard to mess up a burger, but these guys did, burnt my friends burger. Pulled pork sandwich was dry. Waitress gave me the wrong check. I won't be back anytime soon.

We had been told a few times to try this place by some people we know… that being said be weary and listen to the local guide reviews of 1 star. When you walk up it takes a moment to realize where you’re going/entering. Upon walking through the door you have what I’d assume regulars seated at the bar/bar top tables staring at you while a handful of waitresses and a hostess look at you as if you interrupted their conversation. We were at least greeted and seated promptly. Our waitress was very polite and efficient with our order. The appetizers were scolding hot to point where it was difficult to eat them. Beans had no flavor, the coleslaw had no crunch which tells me it wasn’t freshly made, and the ribs had an interesting flavor. You do get used to it after a while I guess but it was off putting at first. The New York was bland but cooked well. All in all the food is below average, our waitress was good, and the atmosphere is only welcoming if you’re a regular.

Ordered food for me and my kid, and it said all you could eat ribs for 30 bucks on the menu and the waitress charged me 45. It came to a 124 when it should have been 88. I had to go up to and talk to her about receipt. And she said, 2 ribs are 30 and then after that, it's 45 and I was just like, no, that's not what it says, don't you know your own menu. So I don't know if it was an accident, but for someone that works there for as long as she has. It seems to me dishonest.

Used to be amazing place but now it's just a political bs couple friends & l we're going to watch the halftime show and the end of the the game with some beers and some pool showed up for nothing but turned point hard Republic place never have I we felt not wanted IDK try and make it a little diversity but I guess not stands on political shit...

I tried this place a few years ago and thought the food was awful. I heard recently that it was under new ownership and figured I would try it again since there aren't a lot of food options up here in Valley Center. That was a mistake. The food was absolutely disgusting. The lowest possible quality of frozen food you can imagine. I can't even say it was bland. It tasted foul. Like either the fry oil was dirty or the cook top wasn't cleaned well? I'm not sure how it was possible for this place to get worse, but they accomplished it...

Evette Harvey

I been in valley center all my life fat ivory used to have the best SMOKED ribs went recently with my family very disappointed the ribs are not smoked this place is disgusting I would rather stay home smoke my own ribs .

Josh Tays

I tried this place a few years ago and thought the food was awful. I heard recently that it was under new ownership and figured I would try it again since there aren't a lot of food options up here in Valley Center. That was a mistake. The food was absolutely disgusting. The lowest possible quality of frozen food you can imagine. I can't even say it was bland. It tasted foul. Like either the fry oil was dirty or the cook top wasn't cleaned well? I'm not sure how it was possible for this place to get worse, but they accomplished it...