Anything barbecue-related can be found at The Big Peach. Because of its mustard-based recipes and Latin influences, it’s easy to see why Georgia’s capital city is known as the Barbecue Capitol of the World. Every neighborhood has a favorite BBQ establishment.
The ideal way to spend a day is with friends around a heaping dish of barbeque. In the Atlanta region, you can always find a spot that serves flawlessly smoked ribs or luscious pulled pork with all the toppings.
These are 10 terrific spots in Atlanta that provide amazing BBQ to satiate your barbecue hunger, whether you want an old classic or a fresh twist.
Are you planning to visit other places in Georgia? Check out our other tasty guides:
- 9 Must-Try Restaurants In Cartersville, Georgia
- 10 Must-Try Atlanta Seafood Restaurants
- 6 Must-Try Restaurants in Helen, GA
- Best Bainbridge GA Restaurants
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The Top 10 Must-Try Barbecue Restaurants in Atlanta
Barbecue at the Heirloom Market
Akers Mill Road SE, Atlanta +177061225022243
Its hard to find a space to sit at Heirloom Market, situated in the Cumberland neighborhood near to a drab convenience store, yet customers still queue up outside the eatery.
Jiyeon Lee and Cody Taylor, co-owners of Heirloom Market BBQ, have a love story between their Korean cuisine and homestyle Texas cooking, as well as between all of Atlanta and those gochujang-brushed ribs.
Heirloom Markets’ smoked meats have a Korean touch. Miso is infused into Korean-style smoked brisket, while gochujang sauce is utilized on the chicken and spicy pork.
Together with the meats, there are delectable sides like as kimchi macaroni and cheese, fried sweet potatoes with a soy-ginger sauce, and kimchi coleslaw. Don’t forget about the fried chicken, either.
Fox Bros. Barbecue
Atlanta, DeKalb Ave NE, +140457740301238
Fox Brothers is the place to go in Atlanta for barbecue. Jonathan and Justin Fox started their BBQ businesses by feeding 250 guests at a backyard party.
Try the brisket burger on a brioche bun with bacon, pickles, onions, pimento cheese, and jalapeño mayo, or their plate with two sides, which should include the Fox-a-Roni, a robust blend of mac & cheese and Brunswick stew.
Apart from the famed brisket, the brothers’ outrageous barbecue menu includes Frito Pie in a bag, hickory-smoked wings covered in homemade sauce, and a nine-inch smoked beef rib that will make you drool all over the place!
DAS GRILL
Atlanta, +14048507373350 Memorial Dr SE
The term comes from the Czechs and Germans who introduced barbeque to Texas. Das is responsible for bringing Texas-style BBQ to Atlanta.
As you walk inside the restaurant, you’ll see the offset wood smokers, which will have you salivating.
Stephen Franklin’s Texas-style restaurant is famous for its thickly sliced brisket. You may choose fatty, lean, or half and half, and no matter what you select, you’ve made the perfect choice.
Briskets with black, nubby bark, as well as meat smoked on Pancho or Lefty, two old-school smokers, are ideal. DAS BBQ provides a pleasant experience, and I urge that you try it! Definitely the best Barbecue in Atlanta!
Sweet Auburn Barbecue
North Highland Avenue Northeast, Atlanta +16785153550656
Sweet Auburn in Poncey-Highland is a great place to go if you desire barbecue but also other foods. The meats, like as brisket and pulled pig, are excellent, but so are their Asian-inspired dishes.
Howard and Anita Hsu grew up in the restaurant business and know how to tickle your palate with meals like coconut lemongrass wings, barbecue nachos with pulled pork, roasted corn, and queso fresco, and pimento cheese wontons.
The Curb Market spare ribs (with Wu-Tang sauce) and house-smoked brisket are unbeatable.
Also, the Wu-Tang wings and pimento cheese wontons are not to be missed. Lastly, to wash down all that food, try the Bing & Rosemary Cocktail (gin, rosemary syrup, and lemon).
Fat Matt’s Rib House
Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, +140460716221811
This Atlanta tradition is one of the city’s top barbecue joints. It has called Piedmont Avenue home for over 30 years.
Don’t be fooled by the basic décor; this restaurant has been serving ribs, chicken, and turkey since 1983.
Friendly service, delicious southern cooking, and warm warmth await you here. You could even recognize one of the numerous blues artists that perform here on a daily basis.
No matter how you order it, you will receive juicy and tasty meat. While employing high-quality products, they do not demand exorbitant prices. In a nutshell, Fat Matts is more than simply a rib place. It’s an experience that deserves to be on the list of Atlanta’s greatest Barbecue.
Barbeque DBA
Atlanta, +140424950001190 North Highland Avenue Northeast
D.B.A BBQ is a barbecue restaurant worth visiting. It’s sort of hard to find; it’s hidden behind the VaHi Postal office, just north of North Highland.
The visit to their huge dining room (for a BBQ restaurant), superb service, incredibly amazing smoked wings, and bourbon drinks is well worth the effort.
Among the menu options are ribs, brisket, and pulled chicken. The sandwiches, though, are what set this establishment unique.
For a hearty dinner, get the Archie Bunker, which includes smoked pulled pork, macaroni & cheese, barbecue sauce, and cheddar over Texas toast.
Smokejack Barbecue
S Main St, Alpharetta, GA +1770410761129
Smokejack has been providing delicious BBQ and southern meals since before the area’s revival and continues to do so on a daily basis.
David Filipowicz’s objective has been to try as many distinct regional BBQ styles as possible, and he has managed to put them all on his menu.
SmokeJack touts their success to utilizing only the freshest ingredients and handcrafting each item from scratch, but there’s something about the brand that has me hooked. It’s no surprise that it’s on the list of the greatest Barbecue in Atlanta.
While I was there, I ordered their brisket sandwich with pimento cheese and handmade pickles, which was delicious!
Lake East (Lake and Oak)
Hosea L Williams Dr NE, Atlanta, +140420559132358
East Lake (Lake And Oak) is one of Atlanta’s newest barbecue restaurants.
In addition to some of the greatest barbecue sauce in town, Lake And Oak serves some genuinely unique appetizers and sides, such as collard greens, fried rice, and house-made pimento cheese with bacon.
For supper and beverages, they provide smoked meats such as brisket, wings, half chickens, and ribs. Their brisket sandwich with pimento cheese is delicious. Although fried rice and cabbage slaw are common side dishes, banana pudding rounds off the meal.
Lake And Oak allows you to taste local meat and fruit at an inexpensive price while yet satisfying your tummy.
Anna’s Barbecue
+140496369761976 Atlanta, Hosea L Williams Dr. NE
Anna Phelps owns and operates Annas BBQ, and she became a pitmaster without any training in 2013. She now has lengthy queues and regularly sells out. Why? Her smoked ribs and turkey legs are among the city’s finest. You should also try the brisket and pulled pork.
You can feel the love the instant you step into Annas BBQ, a rapidly gentrifying barbecue joint in the heart of Kirkwood.
It’s difficult to decide, but the pulled pork on a plate, in a sandwich, or as Anna’s Favorite (a sandwich topped with slaw) is a good place to start.
The pork is juicy and well-seasoned, and it’s served with a sweet-and-hot sauce. Although the collards are appealingly briny, and the mac & cheese is appropriately indulgent (if a tad salty), this business merits its spot among Atlanta’s top BBQ places.
Woods Chapel Barbecue
+1404522300085 Atlanta, Georgia Ave SE
Todd Ginsburg owned a southernized Jewish deli before opening a barbecue restaurant. That may not seem to be the obvious next step, but it was for him.
Ginsburg uses wood smokers to make smoked chicken, jalapeño & Oaxaca sausage, and chopped beef at Woods Chapel.
On Sundays, smoked salmon is offered, which is tender and unlike anything you’ll get at most Atlanta barbecue establishments. Of course, you can’t go wrong with anything inventive, but the beet and jalapeño slaw is a highlight. It features some of the greatest barbecue in Atlanta!
Synopsis of the Top 10 Must-Try Atlanta Barbecue Restaurants
Atlanta, unlike other Southern towns, does not specialize on a single sort of barbecue. The emerging style of the last several decades has been moulded and, dare I say, even enhanced by the blending of traditions from around the area and even overseas. Atlanta BBQ combines the best of both worlds.
Atlanta’s greatest restaurants provide a wide range of cuisines and culinary styles, from down-home cooking to haute cuisine.
Nonetheless, since this is the South, BBQ is well-represented among local favorites. While Atlanta is not the barbecue capital of the world like Austin or Memphis, their greatest barbecue comes close, with smoked ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and all the sides you’d expect from outstanding Southern cuisine.