Best barbecue
A pulled pork sandwich with a side of collard greens at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q on DeKalb Avenue in Atlanta. Photo: Becky Stein / Special
YOUR PICKS
1. Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q
You say, “Fox Bros. have no competition! If you think some other place is better I suggest you go try it!” and “There are a lot of great choices around here, but Fox Bros. has to be the best. Anyone who says they don’t like it is either a vegan or works for a different BBQ joint.”
2. Fat Matt’s Rib Shack
3. Pig-N-Chik
4. Community Q
5. Fresh Air Bar-B-Que
6. Swallow at the Hollow
The pork platter with sides of mac and cheese and baked beans at Swallow at the Hollow in Roswell. Photo: Phil Skinner / pskinner@ajc.com
OUR PICKS
1. The Swallow at the Hollow
Food and beverage writer Bob Townsend says, “Purists may sneer at the foodie barbecue Bill Green does at this weathered-wood cabin in Roswell. But like his Southern comfort cooking across the way at Greenwood’s, there’s no arguing with the quality or intention. Feast on smoky pork or beef, baby back ribs and house-made sausage, with terrific portobello mushrooms and fried green tomatoes, and freshly baked bread and pies.”
2. Garden Produce & Country Store
3. Sam’s BBQ 1
4. Dave Poe’s BBQ
5. Community Q BBQ
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517 comments Add your comment
MJL
September 21st, 2010
10:46 pm
Dave Poe’s and Fox Brothers (Short Rib!)
CATHERINE
September 22nd, 2010
2:46 am
KEVIN JONES AKA (BLACK LOVE) ELLENWOOD,GA
G-Man
September 22nd, 2010
9:36 am
BBQ-1
Hokey
September 22nd, 2010
9:58 am
North Carolina Barbecue
For all those of you complaining about the mention of NC in this Atlanta survey: that’s the standard by which all others are judged. For example, I rate Fresh Air about equal with Honey Monks; Swallow at the Hollow with Mac’s in Charlotte, Community Q with Jimmy’s. There is no right way, but there are lots of wrong ways (South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee for example).
mld365
September 22nd, 2010
12:08 pm
Moe’s Original Bar B Que is coming this Fall to Midtown Atlanta featuring award-winning Bama-style BBQ.
Whats the *#*@* ! BBQ?
September 22nd, 2010
12:46 pm
Hey I dunno about all this regional arguin’ I thought the question is; the best in the Atlanta area. Oh, I thought it was for your vote, not slamming others.
If you want good fried clams go to The Waterfront Restaurant in Camden, Maine
Aunti
September 22nd, 2010
12:57 pm
Old South and D.B.A.
sr citizen dawg
September 22nd, 2010
1:01 pm
DEANS IN JONESBORO. HANDS DOWN THE BEST BBQ .
reservoirDAWG
September 22nd, 2010
1:12 pm
mld365, the same Moe’s that is in Colorado?
Cheeselover
September 22nd, 2010
1:24 pm
Shane’s always gives me the squirts. Thanks but no thanks. Dreamland lives up to its name. I would drive to Tuscaloosa for it, but I’m glad they are in the suburbs.
stingemjackets
September 22nd, 2010
1:53 pm
Old South BBQ in Smyrna, still one of the best sauces around.
GT Fan
September 22nd, 2010
1:56 pm
Sonny’s with Shanes coming in a close second.
stone
September 22nd, 2010
2:17 pm
Fox Brothers! Their restaurant is on the end of my street, and i’ll tell you folks, the parking lot is always full, and I can smell their butts from here(!) They have been packing them in since day 1, so they are doing something right. Check of the Tominator, tater tops, topped with pork, cheese, and jalapeno….we love those guys! a
Out-of-state license plates tell me it is a destination go-to-que-spot.
jrp
September 22nd, 2010
3:14 pm
@Yeah Right..I have been to Gates in Kansas City and it is yummy..Glad to see that someone other than me has finally found Iron Horse in Villa Rica..
Veg Head
September 22nd, 2010
4:15 pm
I must say, nothing tops the pulled pork from the soy meat section in Kroger. Omg, delicious. But from what my family has said, what about Chili’s? According to them it’s good; not that we frequent BBQ places that often…
Tru South
September 22nd, 2010
5:14 pm
1bearz you must be smoking i lived in Oakland and am from the tru south where Q comes from and Flint’s is road kill cooked way to long. Sorry Pig and Chik
J.Mack
September 22nd, 2010
8:50 pm
Hey — The Best of the Best — Not a hole in the wall – but a little shack by the side of the road — DEAN’S – just south of JONESBORO. I always go by on my way out of Atlanta when going home in South Georgia & pick up five pounds or so!!! GREAT!! FINE PEOPLE ALSO!!!!-DEAN’S – TRY IT — IT’S THE VERY BEST!!
junkyardog76
September 22nd, 2010
11:29 pm
Only a Yellow Jacket would think Sonny’s is BBQ.
mike
September 23rd, 2010
8:21 am
D B A AND HICKORY HOUSE!!
Paddy
September 23rd, 2010
8:32 am
Maddy’s in Decatur gets my vote. And leave that Kansas City style out of the discussion, its not worthy of a good southern debate! Sonny’s also is not worth calling Bar-B-Que. I don’t know what you would really call it for sure!
LCBF
September 23rd, 2010
9:12 am
SPRAYBERRY’S IN NEWNAN IS A JOKE!! MOSES BBQ, STONEWALL TELL ROAD, COLLEGE PARK, GA, MEAT AND SIDES…..TOO GOOD!
JDJ
September 23rd, 2010
9:41 am
Helloooooooooo????? Atlanta? Is everybody over 40 dead or gone? Hickory House !! We grew up on it! The real deal with the OLD guys as pit masters! Give it a try and see how it SHOULD be done.
LT
September 23rd, 2010
10:13 am
I’d take ‘em to Fox Bros. Hands down best Atlanta BBQ imo.
Godzilla
September 23rd, 2010
11:18 am
Hambone’s in College Park is the best. Everything on the menu will make your mouth water!
GT Fan
September 23rd, 2010
11:22 am
LT, your opinion is wrong. Sonny’s is the best!
Betsy
September 23rd, 2010
12:59 pm
This is like picking youir favorite child!
We are partial to Harold’s. And a close second is The Barbecue Shack in Athens, but just cause that’s the flavor of my childhood.
Mahovolich
September 23rd, 2010
1:39 pm
Lick a Pig off Jimmy Carter
HD
September 23rd, 2010
2:16 pm
Dreamland BBQ
GT Fan
September 23rd, 2010
2:54 pm
SONNY’S SONNY’S SONNY’S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BW
September 23rd, 2010
2:58 pm
Barbeque Masters in Morrow, GA….Best Ribs and Sauce!!!
BW
September 23rd, 2010
3:00 pm
@ Chitterlings…You are right, the food is great, but the wait is soooo long!!!!
brad
September 23rd, 2010
3:59 pm
south- Sprayberry’s in newnan for best meat, stew and sides and sauce
north- johnny’s BBQ in gainesville best meat and stew
further north- North GA BBQ in helen best meat and stew
all have meat that you can taste the smoke. because its actually smoked. unlike sonny’s or shane’s. it’s pretty pityful when the best thing on sonny’s or shane’s menus are the chicken tenders. not to mention, shanes microwaves just about everything they serve.
and all have stew made the way it should be: no beans and no potatoes! and ground fine. dont dare serve me chunky veg soup and call it brunswick stew!
brad
September 23rd, 2010
4:03 pm
veg head: your joking right? soy is NOT bbq. the definition of bbq states MEAT cooked slowly over a low heat,smoke source.
brad
September 23rd, 2010
4:28 pm
and for the ones that think the age of the joint means they must be the best(like fresh air sine 1929)
sprayberry’s has been in the same location, selling the same great bbq sine 1926!
Mark
September 23rd, 2010
6:43 pm
http://www.pignchik.net
The “Pig N Chik” B.B.Q at the corner of Peachtree Industrial Road & Clairmont Avenue. Best pulled pork around. It’s so good I like it without any sauce (the best of which, IMO, is the mustard-based sauce).
“Pig N Chik” B.B.Q. also has fantastic homemade Cole Slaw and Potato Salad.
Best Bet To Go: One pound of pulled pork, one pint Potato Salad, and one pint of Cole Slaw. More than enough for two hungry people. Nice dine-in facilities, too.
Can’t be beat. One of very rare times I eat meat of any species anymore.
steve v
September 23rd, 2010
9:36 pm
BBQ in Atlanta waste of time. Drive to KC and eat at oklahoma joe’s
ATLTA Mom
September 24th, 2010
9:58 am
Shane’s Rib Shack is hands down the best hands down place. hands down.
Sierra
September 24th, 2010
9:58 am
Fat Matt’s Rib Shack
David
September 24th, 2010
10:01 am
If you’re in town or on the east side, it’s Community BBQ in Decatur: gotta try the ribs (including the big juicy beef rib), pulled pork, and out of this world mac ‘n cheese. It you’re on the northside, it’s Sam Huff’s BBQ 1 in Marietta. If you’re near Gainesville, Hickory Pig is one of a kind!
reservoirDAWG
September 24th, 2010
10:22 am
I quit going to Pig & Chick when I asked the owner if their pulled pork came from a boston butt or a picnick shoulder and he told me they were the same thing. They’re not.
Farmer's Wife
September 24th, 2010
11:02 am
Dave Poe’s has the best mac n cheese to accompany some righteous BBQ. They haven’t invented a work yet that describes how yummy this really is.
cfcassidy
September 24th, 2010
11:29 am
Pig N Chik for pulled pork. Slopes for Brunswick Stew
Whats the *#*@* ! BBQ?
September 24th, 2010
12:03 pm
So reservoirDAWG, what you are saying is, because one employee says something without enough knowledge, it compromises the taste of the product?
reservoirDAWG
September 24th, 2010
1:12 pm
No, I am saying when the OWNER of a “bbq” restaurant doesn’t know the difference that it is a bad sign. Was I not clear?
LizDawg
September 24th, 2010
3:07 pm
Sam’s BBQ-1 for pork/brisket and Williamson Bros for stew/chicken.
Not impressed by Swallow.
LizDawg
September 24th, 2010
3:08 pm
Only a tech fan would say Sonny’s!
Shelly
September 24th, 2010
4:33 pm
The two best in the city are both on Highland Avenue: Mike’s Bone Lick BBQ at P’Cheen (only on Monday nights) and DBA Barbecue for the other 6 nights of the week.
intellibird
September 24th, 2010
10:26 pm
McDonald’s McRib, bring it back!
craig
September 25th, 2010
6:00 am
well, north carolina bbq is the best — but dickey’s in alpharetta is pretty good … also slopes in roswell and sandy springs
BBQBrood
September 25th, 2010
6:17 am
Fox Bros hands – best beef brisket and brisket chili in town, not fatty and cooked perfect. Bonus for the Lopez – tater tots smoothered in brisket chili and cheese