Phoenix Metro's Best BBQ Joints

[jrod667]

I've been hitting up a lot of BBQ joints lately in search of what I think is the best BBQ in Phoenix Metro. So far I am not overly impressed with one particular restaurant, but each one I have tried has some strengths and weaknesses. I will continue my search for great BBQ in my part of Arizona, and if you have any suggestions of places I just have to try please let me know. Otherwise, here are my own findings so far:

Famous Daves - May have the best beans I ever had with their Wilbur Beans. Great St. Louis style ribs. Nice variety of sauces (Sweet & Zesty is my favorite). Bread Pudding is fantastic with a Pecan Praline Sauce. New Tri-tip is awesome and VERY SMOKEY. I'm not a huge fan of their chicken or brisket (too soggy for my taste). Also, their cornbread is fantastic when cooked properly, but it often comes out undercooked.

Lucilles Smokehouse - Best BBQ chicken I have ever had! Fantastic strawberry lemonade served in large mason jars, and grilled sweet corn on the cob. Everything I have had here I have liked though I can't say everything is worth getting. They smoke their meat for a really long time and it shows in the quality of the food. Ribs have a very thick and sugary carmelization to them. You bite into them and you often get some carmelized sauce sticking to your teeth. It's good stuff. Probably top 3 ribs I've had after Famous Daves and Thee Pitts Again.

Logan's Roadhouse - Went here the week it opened in Mesa Riverview. I got great service and great food. Since then I've been probably 10-15 times and each time the food has been subpar and the service horrible. I ain't going back again except maybe when I want one of their peanut butter cup deserts... those little things are awesome. If you must eat here, get a steak. Also, their cinnamon apples are pretty spectactular.

Texas Roadhouse - Get a steak and toke up on their yeast rolls with cinnamon butter. Ribs are like what you get anywhere (aka. Chilis, TGIF, etc.).

Waldo's BBQ - All around solid food, though I thought the ribs were very mediocre. To be honest, with signs every 5 feet that say things like "Our Ribs Are So Good You Don't Need Any Sauce" and "World Famous Ribs" I was pretty disappointed with their ribs. I think the new fire grilled ribs at Burger King have more flavor. Their sauce is kinda of sweet and good. Also, they have fried corn on the cob which I thought was good. Stick to their pulled pork here I think.

Thee Pitts Again - Most interesting and different BBQ sauce I think I have ever had but its really good. I think it has a lot of Ketchup, Mustard and Worcestershire Sauce. Also, it had a similar kick/flavor in there to Pete's Fish& Chips Sauce so I wouldn't be surprised if it had some El Pato in there. Very tangy with a kick. I liked it. Their chop was AMAZING. It did not even need sauce it was so good. Also, their ribs are pretty special. I think they paint their ribs with mustard and put on their rub. Everything is mesquite smoked here. Also, they have good skillet cornbread with honey butter. Pulled pork is some of the best I have had. Also, they have things I haven't seen other places like smoked/grilled rattlesnake and pulled turkey. I got their meat sampler and like everything except the chicken and the beef ribs. My hands smelled like smoke the rest of the day from eating there. It's pretty good stuff.

JRuggs BBQ - Pretty new and small establishment. I like the pricing and portions for lunch though. Also, I like how everything comes with a nice thick piece of grilled texas toast. It's not like the toast is spectacular, but I find it just goes really well with the food they serve. Their brisket in my opinion is their best dish. They have a hot BBQ sauce that goes really well with it. They have my second favorite beans I've had. Tons of Molasses (reminded me of my trip to Boston). Ribs are pretty good too. Their food is not as sweet as other places which I find is a nice change once in a while. I would like to see these guys do well and survive, so definitely try it out.

Joe's Real BBQ - Joe's is probably the place I would take people who wanted to taste "Arizona" BBQ. With your typical ranch style beans, homemade rootbeer, rootbeer cake, and all around good wholesome BBQ I think it's a good place that most people will like. That said, I don't think their food is anything special. It's just solid BBQ. I think people like the chuckwagon like atmosphere though so its a good place to go to.

Honey Bears - Honey Bears uses citrus wood to smoke their food which gives it a unique taste. Their stuff is pretty good all around in my opinion, but I have lots of friends and family that LOVE it. I think that maybe it's one of those places where you'll either love it or just think it's okay. Personally, I have only had their pulled pork so far so I have got to go back and have some more food.

Well, that's all I've seriously tried so far. I am open to trying any place so let me know if there's a place I just have to go check out. I live in Mesa and I'm willing to drive about an hour for good BBQ.

[azkitch]

If you're ever in N. Phoenix again, Grady's on 19th Avenue just south of Cactus--east side of the road. When you see a HUGE sign for PAPPY's B & G, that's the strip mall Grady's is in. His front room houses 2 counters and 4 rickety lookin' tables. About the size of a small living room. I enjoyed his BBQ, and love his hot Q sauce.

[Desert Dweller]

STACY'S SMOKEHOUSE  On Indian School, just west of the 51 Freeway, north side of street, small Purple Bldg.  You can smell Pecan for blocks!  I have eaten there three times, and have not walked away mad even once.  I think the brisket is the best, but his Pulled Pork ain't bad at all.  I guess I'll try his ribs next time.  All in all it is a place worth stopping for lunch at.

[AZGrilling]

Just Say'n

[ron b]

i like the honesty in the review well done ..
hope for more reviews soon
Ron

[jrod667]

After an initial great experience at Thee Pitts Again, I took some friends there this weekend. The food was still good. Their Chop is still amazing. However, the ribs were not nearly as good as before, which greatly disappointed me. The first time I went I was one of maybe 4 people in the restaurant (around 3:30 or 4pm) and this last time we were part of the dinner rush and the place was full. I'm suspecting that maybe they pay a little bit more attention to their food when they are not super busy. Also, I think my table's bottle of BBQ sauce was mixed wrong this last time. Very pronounce ketchup/mustard taste. Sauce that came out on the food was much better. Finally, the service was pretty slow and the waiter disappeared for 15-20 minutes at a time. I drink a glass of Dr. Pepper every 5 minutes or so, so my glass was empty pretty regularly which is probably my biggest pet peeve about restaurant service. If you ain't gonna come by and keep my beverage full, then bring me a freakin' pitcher and I'll keep it filled myself!

All in all, I still think they make good food, but I was disappointed with this last experience and the difference in the quality of the ribs (which is my favorite BBQ meat) has definitely downgraded the place overall in my list of AZ BBQ joints.