Where to Eat BBQ in Atlanta

Browse BBQ restaurants in Atlanta as well as recommendations for the best ribs and sandwiches. CL’s critics & readers weigh in on where to eat BBQ in Atlanta.

Photo credit: CL Photo Archives

GQ's BBQ - 2018 Best of Critics Award for Best BBQ

By CL Staff Thursday January 31, 2019 09:28 PM EST

BBQ Restaurant Recommendations

Best BBQ in Atlanta: Heirloom BBQ - Critic’s Pick

Best BBQ in Atlanta: Fox Brothers BBQ - Readers’s Pick

BBQ Dishes to Try

If you ask the average Atlantan where to eat barbecue, you’ll get a wide variety of answers. Around here, CL’s Critics and Readers have settled around a few choices that seem to win the Best Barbecue awards each year. That being said, there are a handful more BBQ restaurants that are well worth the visit. In fact, we’d recommend you eat your way thru the list below:

The Best Barbecue in Atlanta according to our Critics is:

Heirloom Market BBQ

The Best Barbecue in Atlanta according to our Readers is:

Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

The mega-popular barbecue joint serves up super-smoky ribs, pork, chicken and brisket that inspires passionate barbecue love on good days. The atmosphere the brothers have created is admirable, turning the space into what feels like a genuine Texas shack. | more...

2018 Critic’s Choice for Best BBQ

GQ’s Bar B Que

Black-owned Business

From GQ’s website: Originally from Florida our family operated taste of heaven was inspired by several family owned establishments that specialized in mustard based, vinegar based, or tomato based sauces. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then we can only hope that our preparation and... | more...

BBQ Dishes from our 100 Dishes List

All-you-can-eat Korean barbecue combo at 678

Available at 678 Korean BBQ

It may seem pricey, but grab your friends to help you take down one of these enormous and gorgeous meat assortments tidily tucked into a light wood box. Fresh cuts of meat - unmarinated and marinated - are grilled over charcoal by your server and accompanied by tangy salad, banchan (small plates), and a spicy noodle soup to finish. It’s destination-worthy. $25.99-$29.99.

korean bbq

BBQ pork bahn mi at Quoc Huong

Available at Quoc Huong Banh Mi Fast Food

Vietnam’s most recognizable sandwich is old-school fusion: a French demi-baguette stuffed with pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro, and, in this case, some barbecue pork. Quoc Huong’s crusty bread rivals that of any bakery in the city, and banh mi devotees flock here where they’re jonesin’ for a sandwich. $2.

bbq pork

Beef rib with coleslaw at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

Available at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

This enormous beef rib is reminiscent of “The Flintstones’” opening scene where Fred’s order tips over the car. Only available on certain days (call first, and then get there fast - they sell out quickly), Fox Bros.’ bone-in rib is slow-cooked until the meat is black with bark and so tender you could eat it with a spoon. Add a little of the coleslaw that’s just creamy and tangy enough to cut the fat of the rib for a truly superior gut-bomb meal. $22.95.?

STILL THE ONE: Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q’s beef rib with coleslaw was featured in the 2011 edition of 100 Dishes to Eat Before You Die

ribs bbq

Georgia Sampler at Heirloom Market BBQ

Available at Heirloom Market BBQ

With its subtle Korean influences, Heirloom Market consistently turns out some of the best and most unique barbecue in town. If you want to sample a wide array of Heirloom’s Far East meets West meat-and-three mastery, the Georgia Sampler is the way to go - two trays piled with pulled pork, smoked chicken, a quarter rack of ribs, then your choice of brisket or turkey or Texas beef sausage (go brisket), AND three sides as well. You can’t deny Heirloom’s mac and cheese, but the Korean-influenced sides are especially worth exploring. Kimchi slaw or green tomato kimchi are musts and work wonders alongside smoked meats. $26.50.

korean bbq

Pork ribs at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

Available at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

Since making the switch from baby back ribs to the fatty and arguably more flavorful St. Louis-style in 2014, Fox Bros.’ pork ribs have achieved barbecue nirvana status. After rub and brown sugar are massaged into the meat, the racks are smoked over hickory wood until the bones are easy to pull apart. Tearing into a spicy, sticky rack is an all-consuming experience that will have you shamelessly sucking your fingers clean in public. You won’t be the only one. Half rack: $13/full rack: $26.

pork ribs bbq

Pulled pork barbecue sandwich at P’cheen

Available at P’cheen

Available only on Mondays during P’cheen’s weekly barbecue extravaganza, this cultural mishmash of a sandwich hits all the sloppy, spicy, piggy notes to satiate that ‘cue craving. The whole hog pulled barbecue comes on buttered Texas toast with pickles and slaw; douse it with the North Carolina-style spicy vinegar sauce for the best results. A side is included - we recommend the absurdly hot jalapeno mac and cheese. $8.

BBQ pulled pork Macaroni and cheese

Pulled pork sandwich at Community Q

Available at Community Q BBQ

Last we checked, there are more places to buy a pulled pork sandwich in the Atlanta metro area than we have fingers and toes to count on. Many of them are pretty good, but none are as consistently adept at balancing the smoke, the moisture, the bark, and portion size for a pulled-pork sandwich as Community Q. Top it with a splash of the house vinegar sauce. $6.50.

pulled pork bbq

Sandwich Community Q Barbecue 12 1 52 Print Jd

Pulled Pork Sandwich at Community Q BBQ

Available at Community Q BBQ

Last we checked, there were more places to buy a pulled pork sandwich in the Atlanta metro area than we have fingers and toes to count on. Many of them are pretty good, but none are as consistently adept at balancing the smoke, the moisture, the bark, and portion size for a pulled-pork sandwich as Community Q. Top it with a splash of the Carolina style house vinegar sauce.

burger bbq

Spare ribs at Daddy D’z BBQ Joynt

Available at Daddy D’z BBQ Joynt

A zillion barbecue joints have opened around town, but the spare ribs here remain unforgettable. Lean, tender, spicy and spotted with coveted bark, they have an antidepressant effect on the doleful blues often performed at the restaurant. $14.99 for a half slab.

BBQ ribs spare ribs

The beef rib at Fox Brother’s Bar-B-Q

Available at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

The Flintstones would be proud of this monstrous, nicely fatty beef short-rib. One poke with your fork and the beefy goodness falls off the bone. Each smoky shred of is a hefty heaven, especially when it’s paired with a bowl of creamy and tangy coleslaw. Half rack: $11.94; whole rack: $22.95.

BBQ ribs

Whole Suckling Pig from Porch Light Latin Kitchen

Available at Porch Light Latin Kitchen

Chef Andre Gomez loves bringing a bit of his Puerto Rican heritage to Smyrna, and what better way than an entire suckling pig? Call ahead at least two days, and Gomez will phone up his farmer friends to find a little heritage piggy just for you and your party of eight to 12. Each pig (typically 20-30 pounds) gets a mojo brine, a rub of olive oil and salt and a slow roast before being shown to the dinner table. The kitchen then breaks it down and brings all the pork back (including the crisp skins) with a bevy of sides and intricate sauces like tomatillo salsa verde, chimichurri and guava chipotle barbecue. $200-$300 based on size of pig.

Puerto Rican Food andre Gomez whole hog suckling pig BBQ

Where to Eat BBQ in Atlanta

Community Q BBQ

At owner David Robert’s (of Marietta’s Sam & Dave’s) Community Q table runners pinch your kids’ cheeks, seem genuinely concerned whether you’re enjoying your meal, and just “get” what it means to make someone feel at home in an establishment. And the food definitely doesn’t hurt the impact. Pleasant... | more...

Daddy D’z BBQ Joynt

Black-owned Business

The funky run-down shack is packed with crowds looking for ‘cue. Blue collar, white collar and no collar at all — folks gather to dive into plates piled high with sweet, savory barbecue (beef, pork, ribs and chicken) and traditional sides. | more...

Fat Matt’s Rib Shack

Live blues and the love of good barbecue bring people from all over town to the small, boxy barbecue joint. An Atlanta landmark, Fat Matt’s turns out ribs, chopped-pork barbecue sandwiches and chickens by the score. With classic sides like a creamy coleslaw, “rum” baked beans and Brunswick stew, thi... | more...

Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

GQ’s Bar B Que

Black-owned Business

Heirloom Market BBQ

Loyal Q and Brew

From Loyal Q’s website: Why all the Smoak? The 18th Century marked the first appearance of the “smoakhouse”. These buildings for smoaking and curing meats were popping up in American backyards at the first of the century. We chose to stick with the traditional (yet unconventional) spelling of “smoak... | more...

Pig-N-Chik BBQ

A branch of the popular north Atlanta barbecue joint serves beef, pork, chicken and turkey. | more...

Sweet Auburn BBQ

Sweet Auburn Barbecue, known for its locations at the Atlanta Food Truck Park and Sweet Auburn Curb Market, now has its independent location in Poncey-Highland. Sweet Auburn Barbecue’s specialty is southern barbecue with international twists featuring smoked meats, brisket, and barbecue pork along w... | more...

The Greater Good BBQ

From Greater Good’s website: Life was different back then, I remember singing in our garden as we picked the vegetables that would become a treat at our supper table. When I wasn’t helping I was watching my mother cook and our kitchen was the warmest space in our home. I smile at the memories of the... | more...

Wood’s Chapel BBQ

From Wood’s Chapel BBQ’s website Named for one of the first churches to serve the Summerhill community immediately following the Civil War, Wood’s Chapel BBQ uses traditional wood-fired pits to prepare an extensive barbecue menu including whole hog, prime brisket, salmon, and turkey. Barbecue is pri... | more...