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Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Brought my husband Kevin here because he loves southern bbq. I don't eat the carne. But I do eat fish.
Kevin really liked the bbq here. And the various sauces. I ordered the catfish poorboy sandwich. It was not a catfish poorboy. Don't order it expecting to get one. It was kind of like a burger style poorboy. I think Baby Blues is trying to put a spin on their poorboy, make it different. This is why I'm not giving them 5 stars. Don't mess with the tradition that is the poorboy sandwich!
So I will be returning to try something else. Staff is nice and it's a cute small place.
This bbq joint has become more famous since it was features on Travel Channel. It's the best bbq joint I've been to pertain to food and service. Baby back ribs and Texas beef ribs seem to be on everyone table. Waitresses are cute and friendly although it may take them awhile to get to you now. Parking can be really tricky and the wait can be up to 2 hours with no reservation... wait, we had reservation last time and still waited 2 hours..
Stay away from pulled pork.. less than mediocre!
Guy Fieri knows his stuff! Bf and I came here after we saw him feature Baby Blues in his All American Road Trip show. We just could NOT stay away after seeing the close ups of the bbq and realizing it was so close to us!
The waitresses here are adorable, smart, fast, and friendly, and the prices are right given the generous portions and excellent quality.
This is definitely a fun & friendly place where you can get some damn good comfort food!! The best of which would be:
* the brilliant Lasker Burger (blue cheese and maple bacon are ground into the beef)
* the beef ribs (one GINORMOUS rib, big enough to tip over a stone-age car)
* the bbq-sauc-y brisket sammich
* the tender, cheesy mac n cheese
* coleslaw
* cornbread
PLAN AHEAD to save a little room for the awesome banana pudding or key lime pie. Or get it/them (both!) to go, if you won't have the tummy real estate for a little while!
Trust me, you WILL love them and you WILL want them later : P
One of my all time favorites. Everything here is freakin amazing!! Ribs, chicken steak, fixin's oh soo good and super authentic. small hole in the wall dive place, totally pobre, nothing nice about it. gives you the beer in a can. owners are real cool guys and the first time my gf and I went there, hesuggested what we should get for the most bang for our buck. so delish!! Banana Pudding. get it!!! bring your buffet shorts and try as much as you can. . they give you cups from goodwill to drink out of. it's quite hilarious. I'm telling you very authentic a few small tv's around. Do yourself a favor and try this place!! Vegans get the okra, mac and cheese, so good!!! Sorry for being all over the wall on this one. I don't know where to start and finish. lol oh and park at the grocery store lot across the street and watch for people crossing. there are always people at this place.
Great Food and Drinks.
The interior is much better at night, but daytime is still cool.
Lots of fun here. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable.
Nothing bad to say, except the usual.. i wish i could get a table a little sooner on the busy night. But oh well.
Hands down, the best BBQ in LA! My good friend took me here one weekend when I was getting the screws put to me at work, and it was like a revelation!
The place was small (like a converted Starbucks), but exploding with atmosphere and friendly staff. I particularly liked the Venice location (more so than Hollywood) because it felt less like a sports bar/Claim Jumper, and more like a hole-in-the-wall for meat-luvin' foodies. The service was on point, ready with recommendations and a good sense of humor. And to top it all off, the prices were decent.
I'm a big fan of the Memphis ribs (large, meaty and tender like no other), but if this is your first time, I recommend the Memphis Queen combo plater. The fixin's were also amazing! From the mashed sweet potatoes to the pork-&-beans, to the corn on the cobb; they were all excellent. And I definitely recommend getting a couple of orders of the hushpuppies to start you off.
I can't really think of much of anything I *didn't* like about Baby Blues, and coming from someone who's given more two stars than anything else, I consider this a pretty good achievement. If you're into BBQ, but sick of the ole Chicago Ribs-style, you can't miss with Baby Blues.
Been there a couple times! Nice staff, take out.
Food is pretty damn good. Kind of pricey for my cheap ass but other than that definitely recommend!
Sometimes, Guy Fieri makes mistakes. Baby Blues is not one of them.
Before I moved to LA, I came to Baby Blues every time I was in town -- which is to say a helluva lot, since my now-hubby was already living here. The bbq is fall-off-the-bone tender -- in fact, the bone really does literally fall right out of the Texas beef rib every single time. That's what I always get, smothered in a combination of BBQ & XXX sauce. With creamed spinach and smoked rice on the side. Sure they're pricey, but the lunch specials don't pack nearly as much a punch to the wallet.
It's a bit dirty -- always flies all over the place -- but no divier than the rest of venice (no offense to those of you who live there -- i love venice, but it's not exactly famous for being, say, UES, and of course you very well choose not to be, so s'all good) Take that more as heads-up than a judgement; as I said, I love this place.
Friendly albeit a bit brusque staff, long lines (we sometimes put our names down, then drive over to Whole Foods a few blocks away to kill time), great ribs, nice chill place for a great casual night out with friends.
Great find, Guy, another point for DDD.
Baby blues is amazing. Going at lunch is a good deal with the specials they have. I have the mac and the potatoes. I could eat a meal of just theirt sides and thats a option! One compliant hiring models may not be in there best interest. I had gotten a refill and she gave my soda to some other guy! After he drank from it I didnt feel like ruining his day if he was a clean freak. So watch where your sodas go people. I wish it was closer.
I wanted to give this place a second chance. Not too long ago I saw it on a program on the food network (or one of those food stations) and it got me re-intrigued.
I went with two friends. We ordered various types of ribs and sides. None of the food was very good. They appear to hire very good looking servers, but I don't rate restaurants based on their servers' looks. If the food isn't good, it's a no go for me. This restaurant (with the exception of their banana pudding) is off my list for good.
Another one bites the dust.
In my ongoing search for decent BBQ and Southern BBQ, this place falls…
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As far as I am concered this is the best BBQ in LA. Some think Dr Hoglywogly's in the valley is better but I wholeheartedly disagree. Baby Blues has more flavor and a vinegar based sauce which is beyond compare. Also stand outs are the grilled corn on the cob, served with cheese and lime, and the delicious sweet potato mash. Desert is a must. Delicious and unapologetically fattening.
Wow is all I can say
The blue cheese and bacon stuffed burger is quite possibly the best burger I've ever had
The mac n cheese is fabulous!
I will come to la just for this place
This BB BBQ is sized like a neighborhood restaurant but there were alot of people in the house waiting patiently for a lunch table. Due to the big lunch crowd, we had trouble finding street parking so we took a chance by parking in the shopping center lot across the street. I don't know how diligent they are with calling the tow truck companies but we got away fine and it didn't seem like the center was being frequented otherwise.
The menu was nicely varied but to hit a lot of choices in one sitting, I ordered the Cherokee Spike: pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked link, cornbread, cole slaw and soda. I was hungry walking in but left uncomfortably full. Both the pork and brisket were good and finished with a different sauce - the pulled pork tasted like it was finished with a vinegar base. The meats were flavorful and tender beyond what I'm accustomed to. At first it was kind of weird, but I didn't have to do much chewing to get it down. Other than that, the beans were nice and everything else was alright.
If I'm ever in the area again, I'll try to stop by for some pickup.
So deliciously anti-L.A.! I had baby back and Memphis style ribs and they were incredible! The BBQ sauces were also incredible and different than the usual, XXX is hot and awesome. The parmesan and lime corn on the cob and homemade mac and cheese also rocked! I can't wait to go back and try their Texas-style beef ribs and other sides like the creamed spinach, mashed sweet potatoes, and smoked rice.
If you enjoy BBQ, just get the take out, almost always packed. I first discovered this when I thought all the people in the line were actually going to a club.
b.
Well well well. Look what we have here. A BBQ place with 450+ reviews. Why waste my time?
They have a fuckload of good food, in a pan-regional way. The pulled pork is reminiscent of North Carolina, the ribs hum a Memphis dittie, the mac and cheese is skippy and some kind of wackball-awesome.
Don't take my elaborate and detailed dissertation as gospel, read on and get religion for this factory of flavor, this mecca of meat, this rodeo of ribs. You'll thank me, the hell.
I'm all about Baby Blues BBQ. I've now been here twice, once with my boyfriend (sat at the bar, watching the cooks rock out) and once as group of four (towards the back at a regular table). The servers and the flavors/food/fare are unpretentious. They keep it right by keeping it fresh (towards the end of the night, they may occasionally run out of an entree but they always let you know.) Also good to know: they have Coors Banquet!
The ribs were delicious; very meaty, flavorful and the meat pulled right off the bone.
But the Brisket was sadly disappointing, it tasted like a roast that had cooked in a slow cooker all day. Not at all what is expected for good Bar B Q brisket.
The creamed spinach and mac n cheese sides were solid but not exceptional.
The bbq sauce was tasty, with a slight tang and minimal heat.
I will order from here again and double up on the ribs.
Food was delivered on time and warm. This earned the 4th star for what would otherwise be a 3 star meal.
After seeing this place on the Travel Channel, my wife and I put it on the list of restaurants we wanted to hit while we were in southern California in October of 2009. We didn't have time for two restaurants near Santa Monica beach so we had to choose one. Thank goodness "The Lobster Restaurant" in Santa Monica sucks. We had a drink at the bar and after waiting over an hour (o.k. maybe two drinks) for a table they stuck us on a tiny two top by the bathroom. When I told the hostess we would wait for a better table she sneered and led us back to the bar. As it would be rude to throw her in the Pacific we just decided to bail. Venice Beach was just down the road and Baby Blues BBQ was calling.
When we walked in mama had reservations because it is not exactly super clean and the clientel was a little on the rough side. The manager sensed her hesitation and stated very loudly "don't be scared, come on in and eat". Well, that's why we came so.....
I told him we had never been, told him we were from Texas and it was on. He and our waitress were also from Texas so he sent out a complimentary appetizer that consisted of small pieces of corn bread covered with pulled pork and cole slaw. At this point I let mama know that we were going to be here awhile. We ordered a variety of different meats and sides but the most outstanding was the pulled pork and mac n cheese. The only item that was not fantastic was the Texas beef rib. Yes it is huge but there is too much fat on it and the meat was a little tough. We should have tried the baby backs.
To top everything off they had Shiner Bock on tap. A beer made west of Houston served on tap thousands of miles away with good bbq. I'm in. Thanks guys for the extra attention and good conversation. We'll be back.
Baby Blues takes me home to Texas where I grew up on BBQ!
I am so happy I found you!!!!!
All I can say it is "Some Damn Good BBQ"!
I love the squeeze bottles of Sauces to choose from...you have to try em all. And the extra bonus of my favorite tunes at any resturant as well as the service of Excellence (this I should know after 14 years in the Resturant Business).
I will be back and I will bring everyone I know!
MMMMMMM YUMMMMMM
Brought my coworkers to Baby Blues for some ribs. Mmm...it's a quaint little restaurant that tries to look like an old Southern BBQ shack -- mismatched furniture, a hodgepodge of distressed chairs and tables, old liquor bottles filled with banana pepper infused vinegar, BBQ sauces, Tabasco sauces, a roll of paper towels & a bowl of wet naps are at each table for your convenience.
I've been there for dinner before, but I don't recommend it because the line is often out the door and you may be waiting about 30 minutes for a table! Lunch is more manageable, and the lunch specials are a good deal.
I ordered the 1/3 rack of Memphis ribs + beef brisket combo, which comes with cornbread, a side (mashed sweet potatoes) and a drink (Coke). The meat was tender and fell off the bone; not overdried like some BBQ places. Wish there was more BBQ sauce. Memphis style BBQ is less sweet and more smokey. The brisket was okay -- a little drier than I prefer, but still good. I hear the baby back ribs are more tender, but it's a sweeter BBQ sauce. The cornbread here is the dense and chewy cornbread, not the fluffy and cakey kind. Still good, just different.
There aren't many ribs places in West LA, but this one is good enough to try again. Service is a little slow, even at lunch, so just be ready to wait. Lunch is about $15 a person, tax and tip included.
The true test of any good bbq (imo) is a Carolina pulled pork sandwich. I consider it to be one of the most labor intensive sandwiches out there. they failed right off the bat. I got 2 chunks of pork with some coleslaw and a bun (ciabatta bread style) that tasted like it had been dipped in some sort of liquid smoke concoction and then toasted.
the cornbread was butter soaked goodness,
-s
Baby Blues Has the best pork spare ribs (they call them Memphis-style) I have come across in LA. This makes Baby Blues my favorite BBQ spot as I am a HUGE fan of pork ribs. The sides are solid but nothing special. I'm not sure what's going on with the brisket. It is not brisket in the traditional BBQ sense. Theirs is stringy, dry mess - I advise against it.
The banana pudding is damn good - more like frosting than pudding. It's a must try.
They suffer from the same flaw as every other BBQ joint in LA - it's too expensive. BBQ is supposed to be cheap. I feel as though the BBQ restaurants take advantage of the LA locale. Yes, overhead is more expensive here but $7.50 for a pulled pork sandwich is ridiculous.
To summarize, if I don't feel like firing up the smoker, I will head around the corner to Baby Blues for some ribs and pudding, but that's about it.
First tried BBB at the SM bbq fest, thought it was amazing, so I had to hit up the source.
The ribs are just as good as I remembered. Fall off the bone succulent and doused in their signature NC vinegar based bbq sauce. They also have great beef brisket and pulled pork. Come during lunch and they have lunch specials around 10-13 for sandwiches or lunch combos that come with several meats, a side and corn bread.
Honestly though, the more times I come, the more I am sold on their sides. Try the mac and cheese, or really the Cheese with mac. It's so cheesy, you'll think you were sitting front row at a carrot-top show! Honestly, all their sides are the shit, and they know it, even offering an all-sides platter, which I would totally go for, except the carnivore in me always rights me every time toward the ribs.
Markus310(approved) I have never eaten here but im convinced. Im going to go there and see if it really deserves my 5 star rating.
SHORT review: Decent for lunch. VINEGAR, VINEGAR, VINEGAR. They've got OKRA which means fantastic!
LONG review:
Took a friend for his first lunch there. Corner location, small and grungy. Staff quite friendly and attentive.
Here's the thing. It's decent, but it's definitely vinegar based so the sauce well, you'll either dig it or not. I'm filipino so I like vinegar and so I liked this.
We tried:
Appetizer: Suicide King - Beef on cornbread with cotija cheese and slaw. 4 "pieces", needs more beef - very tender though, cotija cheese? Well that makes everything better. The combination was well, to be honest different. I think I liked it. Will have to try again.
BBQ chicken sandwich - Nice sized breast on bun. Only ok. Next time, go for the beef or pork.
Pork sandwich - that was his. I didn't try, but waitress reminded us, they don't add sauce - it's up to you to add from their sauces of XXX, regular or somethin else which I can't remember. He said it was tender.
Sides: Mac n Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, Okra. Mac N Cheese was thick n hearty - fattier size of elbow mac used with some bread crumbles. Mashed potatoes were super straight forward - just a little salt and pepper - nothin fancy, but works well if you bit into your sandwich and you used to much XXX sauce (tempers the flare up on the tongue). Okra is VERY vinegary and has chunks of stewed tomatoes. I LOVED it. I think the vinegar cuts the slime.
One VERY COOL THING? They've got KOOL AID as a drink offering. Yipee!
I've heard stories about people who have been stranded in the desert, dying of thirst and who, in order to survive, drink their own urine. I always thought that was disgusting, and never really understood it, until yesterday when I had lunch at Baby Blues BBQ.
West Los Angeles is a desert in a country of great BBQ, and Baby Blues survives because it looks like people would rather have bad BBQ than no BBQ at all.
I'm not a prude, but the chairs and tables look like they were plucked out of a garbage dump.
Positive note: Our hostess and waitress were very sweet.
Second time coming here.
Got the Memphis Queen, 1/2 Baby Back, 1/2 Memphis Ribs. They are decent, enjoyed with the sauce. The co-slaw was okay and the creamed spinach was :(. Overall, it was a decent experience and I'd come back.
There is better out there for your money I'd say though; but if you are craving ribs or BBQ I recommend it!
Not really a Driver's Dine-In and Dive either though...
The lunch combos are a great deal. I love the pulled pork, ribs, sweet mashed potatos and mac n cheese.
Disclaimer: I'm from North Carolina.....born and bred.
I decided on the Carolina pulled pork sandwich. The meat itself was decent, but of course, I've definitely had better. What I don't get is that I have to place the vinegar based "sauce" (actually more vinegar than sauce) on the pulled pork. Um, hello, it's suppose to be cooked with it.
The service was great and so was the mashed sweet potatoes. The sweet tea....well they tried.
I like Baby Blues BBQ. The baby back ribs fall right off the bone and are so delicious. I love the mac n' cheese, collard greens, and mashed potatoes. LA's really not the spot for good Barbeque, but this is definitely a rare find if you have a craving.
I am a BBQ junkie. I try to visit the best BBQ joint in each town I visit, and have always been frustrated that LA doesn't have much outstanding BBQ. Let me tell you that Baby Blues is as good as it gets. The food is amazing. Incredible meat and side dishes. This is one of my very favorite restaurants in LA. Great food, great service, great value. You will LOVE it!
Who says there's no good BBQ on the Westside? Baby Blues is awesome. I'm a BBQ junkie and this is… Read more »
400+ reviews?! Really?
What else is there really left to say?
The cornbread is quite possibly the best I've ever had. So moist, it literally tastes like moist kernels of buttery corn.
Sweet tea is delicious diabetes in a plastic cup! Yuuuuum...simple syrup...gooooood.
I'm quite certain the waitresses are strictly forbidden from eating the food cuz they're all skinny as hell.
The mac and cheese was actually a bit too cheesy for me, after a while though...it was still damn good.
Creamed spinach could use improvement, but my bad for ordering that...shoulda got the okra.
Mashed sweet potatoes: broke my hymen for mashed sweet potatoes, don't really have anything to compare it to, but it was effing good.
Pulled pork is the best so far on the West Coast.
Memphis ribs are falling off the bone tender and flavorful.
Unsanitary ex various bottles of liquor on the tables hold the elixir to life.
Home made BBQ sauce is hands down....my new bath water.
Owner is a nice, regular guy who hooks you up with to go BBQ sauces when taking home leftovers.
I cannot wait to move to the WestSide, yo. I went at an off peak time, so no wait. If it wasn't for the horrendous wait, I would be there 24/7.
As a KC native, its tough to find a place to satisfy the BBQ craving. Went here hoping to scratch the meat itch but it just didn't happen. Not a bad place by any means but if you grew up on BBQ, this spot prolly won't fill the void.
I've never eaten ribs in Texas or Memphis or anything like that, so I really don't have a comparison to make in that category. I have eaten ribs in Burbank, Santa Monica and Marina del Rey so I have some localized comparisons to make.
I've never had a bad meal at Baby Blues in Venice. In fact, I recently chose it for a birthday dinner over choice of steak and lobster somewhere else, I love their ribs.
I haven't eaten too many different items on the menu, but things I love include their cornbread and coleslaw (a big fan of both) collard greens, large beef ribs, baby back ribs and BBQ chicken.
When I eat there alone I rarely ever order chicken but I'm happy to take some off my companions plate were eating there together. I'm a huge fan of the big beef ribs (only need to order one) along with a side of coleslaw and corn bread (extra cornbread please).
Whether we've chosen to dine in or take out the staff has always been friendly and lived up to the food loving attitude Baby Blues portrays. They get four stars for scrumptious, finger licking good ribs, and an additional star for attitude.
Also helps that they're nearby my neighborhood and takeout orders are typically handled pretty quickly.
Casual attire, I wouldn't wear a fancy white shirt to this place, unless you're bringing along a barbecue sauce catching bib. Great place to eat after a long day visiting Venice Beach.
sooo good! the pulled-pork sandwich was amazing. good vibe and I didn't have to wait on a saturday afternoon
Oh my god! I have been searching for great southern barbeque since moving to Los Angeles. When I go home I always get barbeque just to ease my cravings. But now I have finally, finally found a place here that hits the spot.
My husband took me here over the Labor Day weekend, and it was absolutely mouth watering. There were also a few tables outside, so we could enjoy the wonderful weather and people-watch while dining. I had a pulled pork sandwich (my favorite!), and tried several of the sides. I love their tangy barbeque sauce, and the sandwich was great. However, what really shone were the sides.
We had the baked beans, which were slightly spicy and amazingly barbeque-y. The mashed potatoes were also a complete winner. A surprise for me was the coleslaw. I normally hate coleslaw because of the heaviness of the sauce, but this was great. It was more like a light cabbage salad than any slaw I've had before. And finally, the blues on the cob, which was corn on the cob with blue cheese. Amazing! I can't rave about this place enough. For anyone who, like me, craves a real southern flare to their food, Baby Blues is the place to go.
I hardly ever make it to this part of town so you can imagine how excited I was that I was finally going to try this place out. Like Charlie in the candy store about to pay for that Wonka bar, I handed the waitress my money and waited in anticipation for my ribs with mac n cheese and corn. Sadly, instead of the Golden Ticket, all I got was okay mac n cheese with slightly underdone corn and dry flavorless ribs. Boo on you Baby Blues.
Side note, the waitstaff is super good looking and super cool too.
Great sides, but the actually ribs were dry and gross.
Best BBQ I've ever had. My recommendations: Pulled pork, bbq baked beans, mac and cheese, and sweet tea to top it off. I'm from the Bay Area, and I've now made this place a must visit whenever I'm in town.
Neighborhood: Venice
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: Venice
Category: Barbeque
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: Palms
Category: Barbeque
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Barbeque
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