The restaurant was rebranded and named after one of the Shlemon kids, Abbey, who loved BBQ. He scribbled an offer on a paper napkin - an offer that was later accepted. One day during a casual lunch visit, Matt, after loving the food at what was then called Real Texas BBQ, made an offer to buy the place, even though it wasn’t for sale.

Abbey’s has been part of San Diego’s BBQ scene for a long time, dating back to the 1980s. We didn’t hear from readers, but owner Matt Shlemon did. When we compiled our list of best BBQ places back in 2018, our initial list didn’t include Abbey’s. It feels a little bit like cheating, but now that we’ve tasted some cue from Abbey’s Real Texas BBQ, we can add the Miramar joint to our list of BBQ favorites in San Diego County - a long list that includes Grand Ole BBQ in Flinn Springs and Coop’s West Texas BBQ in Lemon Grove.