With a name like Memphis Minnie’s Barbeque Joint And Smokehouse and located in the more alternative Haight district of San Francisco I wasn’t quite sure what we were in store for dinner. I always try to fit in some good BBQ when I visit the states and the choices in the city were too numerous to think about. One bad hit and it’d probably be our only opportunity.

Fortunately when we walked in and took a look at the place, I wasn’t too worried. The entire restaurant seemed to be covered in some sort of pig-themed love, and numerous awards and celebrities spotted at this rather low-key joint. I liked the fact that it definitely seemed more like a diner than a restaurant. Most of my BBQ experiences tended to be in New York city where I think it skews the perception of what a BBQ restaurant should look like.

Plenty of pigs were flying as well, meaning so many more things were possible.

We came early (6pm) and it’s a good thing we did with most of the tables filling up quickly with, what I guess were, locals. Many others came in to simply order and take their big bags of smoky-filled BBQ away. We had a bit of trouble choosing from the menu. Not only did you have all the classic things like the baby back ribs, beef ribs and pulled pork but they also had sausage links, rib tips and some special offerings like a BBQ cheesesteak special of the day just to throw us off.

We settled for sharing a platter in the end. I wanted to try the onion straws as well, figuring they would be an interesting alternative to onion rings not realising that the bowl they came in would rival the plate our BBQ sat upon. I shudder to think exactly how much fat we were consuming. It was very tasty anyway. We tried a side of the mac and cheese (a bit average) and I really enjoyed the smoked BBQ beans. Vegetarians beware since the beans had just as much pork as the plate itself. The ribs were great – smoked and not saucy, the pulled pork utterly divine and sumptuous and the rib tips meaty and wholesome.

I tried the variety of sauces as well. The mustard perfectly matched the onion straws although I wish they had a sauce that was much spicier than the “It’s stupid hot” Beelzebub’s sauce that barely brought any heat to my mouth. A fun place to be that I’d definitely head back to in that neighbourhood.

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Website: http://www.memphisminnies.com/