Like many shops in Old Town, Sweet Lumpy's serves excellent food with an identity crisis.
The mishmash of cultures and ideas is one of the things I love about Southern California, and this is probably what was behind the Spicy Beef Burrito I had.
It was full of moist beef and a sweet, slightly spicy bbq sauce all wrapped up in a tortilla with nacho cheese and onions.
The atmosphere is very comfortable and just as jumbled. It's checkered table cloths, statues of pigs and peanut shell-strewn floors smack of the deep south. The saddles, lassos, horseshoes and pictures of cowboys on the walls ring of the wild west.
But, like other restaurants in Old Town -- Nitza's Pizza, I'm looking at you -- they pull it off wonderfully. Read about Nitza's Pizza by
There are a few downsides. Though only a few of the place's 16 tables were occupied, the server seemed rushed.
And despite having probably the second-best patio seating area in Old Town, it's so far off the beaten path, there's no chance for people-watching. It's on Mercedes and Third streets in front of the parking garage.
It was on Front Street until a recent move. That was, incidentally, the best patio in Old Town.
Sweet Lumpy's is a great place, but with the recent move, I worry they won't stick around. If you want some great barbecue, go there and help it stay -- unless you're allergic to peanuts.
