Drew Bent, an award-winning local chef who has concentrated his culinary energies on barbecue in recent years, is partnering with Grand Restaurant Group to open a new all-ages, fast-casual barbecue restaurant and live music venue in downtown Escondido in early 2027.
Bangers BBQ will replace Grand Restaurant Group’s Bellamy’s, a sit-down restaurant that opened at 417 W Grand Ave. in 2012. Bellamy’s will stay open until the end of the year, then undergo a four- to six-week renovation that will include the installation of some meat smokers and a wood-fired grill. The goal is to open by late winter, said Grand Restaurant Group Chef Partner Alex Carballo.
Carballo said the new restaurant’s name is a reference to the phrase “that’s a banger,” meaning a good record chosen by a DJ or a good dish on a menu. But for those who think of a “banger” as a sausage, Bangers BBQ will make and smoke its own custom versions of those, too.
In an interview with the Union-Tribune on Tuesday, the two chefs and longtime friends talked about the new restaurant.
Carballo — who was a widely respected restaurant consultant before joining GRG last year — said he has hired Bent in the past as a menu consultant on several past projects, and was eager to bring him in as a partner on Bangers BBQ because Bent is “a great chef” and “a good barbecue dude.”
Bent’s long San Diego restaurant career includes stints at Searsucker, Puesto and Carnitas’ Snack Shack. In 2018, he was the founding chef at the Michelin Bib Gourmand-honored taqueria Lola 55. In 2021, Bent took down Bobby Flay on the Food Network competition series “Beat Bobby Flay.” He also briefly cooked in Mexico at Noma’s pop-up in Tulum and chef Luis Arellano’s Criollo in Oaxaca.
In 2022, Bent went solo to open the first of two Sonoran-style barbecue concepts, the pop-up Papalito at Little Thief wine bar, and later, Papalo restaurant in La Mesa. In 2024, he closed Papalo to focus on restaurant consulting.
Bent said the barbecue menu he’s planning at Bangers will not be Sonoran in style. It will be Southwestern barbecue, with California-style dishes and just a touch of Northern Mexico flavors.
“The Sonoran items were very specific and maybe a little heavy and hard for people to get their heads around,” Bent said. “I think Southwestern (barbecue) makes more sense for the story we’re telling … I’ve learned about meeting and exceeding expectations and understanding the public’s tastes, and not being so punk rock.”
Bent said his menu will feature all of the traditional dishes you’d expect at a barbecue restaurant, but he’d also like to showcase other cuts of beef, like Picanha, tri-tip, skirt steak, hanger and even chuck steak. He’d also like to serve a roasted pork shoulder, which he said has been a big hit with diners in the past.
Bent said he’s worked hard on the menu, but it’s sure to transform as it goes through the tasting and approval process over the next six months. He’s especially grateful to have his colleague and friend Carballo by his side for the rollout.
“We both enjoy a lot of the same things, but we have our own visions,” Bent said. “When we get together it’s very natural and organic. I like his style and where his head’s always at. I admire and respect him a whole lot.”
At Bangers, diners will order at a counter their choice of smoked proteins, sandwiches, appetizers and side dishes and get a number to take to their table. There will also be a window for takeout service. Diners who prefer full service can sit at one of the two bars, where company beverage director Sean Ward is planning a full cocktail program with down-home classics like a New Orleans-style Hurricane and various “slushie” cocktails.
Open for lunch and dinner daily, Bangers BBQ will have indoor seating for 44 and outdoor seating for 86 on the 4,200-square-foot back patio. There will be a large stage with an oversized LED video screen, TVs for viewing sports games, areas for playing cornhole and a full game room for children. Live music will be offered five nights a week, to start.
Since joining Grand Restaurant Group last year, Carballo has been analyzing each restaurant property in the company’s portfolio to update and, in some cases, reconceptualize. Last winter, Carballo transformed the company’s underperforming Alejandra’s into the now-bustling Mexican restaurant Nómada, which has a new menu he created that’s more authentic, affordable, fun and family-friendly.
Carballo said Bellamy’s needed an update because Escondido’s restaurant scene is changing. One of the city’s biggest restaurants, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, will soon close, so eateries in the downtown core may be able to attract some of that business. Meanwhile, Grand Avenue’s fine-dining restaurants are dwindling in favor of new breweries, bars, burger spots and other casual options.
Grand Restaurant Group is a San Diego-based company owned by Sandra DiCicco-Bonar, her daughter, Chief Operating Officer Gianina Pickens, and Caballo. The company also owns Nick & G’s restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe.
Dining and Cooking