Joe's Real BBQ
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
17 Reviews for Joe's Real BBQ
Living in Gilbert, places like Joe's Real BBQ are few and far between. Somehow, that seems to make them all the sweeter and really makes me appreciate it for what it is...a family owned, one of a kind, original BBQ joint in the middle of a suburban (semi) wasteland.
The BBQ, although not the best I have ever had, is great. The pulled pork is really tasty and the hot BBQ sauce is awesome. You also can't miss the crusted mac and cheese or the homemade root beer.
If you find yourself in downtown Gilbert, don't hesitate to stop in at Joe's. You wont be disappointed. Grab a 'Meat Plate', sit outside under the trees at a picnic table and be thankful that you can enjoy an American staple in such a cool, little place.
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Very good BBQ here. I wouldn't say it's "the best", but it's right up there. It's family owned, which is a big plus for me. They also have homemade root beer! It's a little on the pricey side.... expect around $10/person. Another plus is their BBQ sauce does not contain gluten.
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I love this place. The food, the atmosphere (despite the cafeteria style like line - I think it sorta adds to its charm), and the atmosphere are totally on point.
Everyone I've taken here loves it. It's just really good. I personally was won over by the bottled sodas and the cheesy potatoes. Don't get me wrong, the pulled pork is fantastic too, but you don't see bottle sodas very often, and I heart potatoes.
It's also located in a really cute part of Gilbert which looks like an old town of somesort (forgive my ignorance, I'm a newbie here.)
Yes I may be picky. But now I feel like I have to vomit. A co-worker of mine told me that I had to try this place if I loved bbq. Well, I am a sucker for ribs, but today I feel like just a sucker. Horrible service "I would like to order a carry-out." "Then move over there"), horrible homemade Root Beer (I am drinking plain syrup and sugar), and horrible pain that I now have in my stomach.
2 stars are for the Mac n Cheese...which I must say was burnt just right. (I love burnt Mac n cheese...yum!)
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The mister and I eat out way to much and have been frequenting the same places recently.. China Chile and Joe's Real BBQ have both been visited 3x each over the past 3 weeks.. okay so we're not as imaginative as we could be. The thing is that we have turned our friends on to these places and every time they go well, we get invited.
We just love Joe's.. it's a combination of elements, decor, pricing and comfort. This place is like that great pair of sneakers you have, a very good fit.
I almost always order the same thing.. pecan smoked ribs, mac 'n cheese and share a loaded baked potato to share. The ribs are meaty and plentiful.. not like those anorexic bones they serve at some other places.. I'm a big eater and can never finish them in one sitting so a full slab can easily be shared. Mac and cheese there is really good even better then my home cooked version.. seems to me I have some practicing to do in that department.
They also have this bbq ranch dressing for their salad that's a must try. Though who wants to eat a salad when there are some many good meats there to try. Their bbq sauce can be kind of sweet if you like that.. I'm a EOE (equal opportunity eater) and love all sorts of smoked meats and sauces but I know plenty of people who don't like that kind of sauce.
No table service here either, strictly cafeteria style. So be sure to have someone in your party squat a seat before ordering if you see a good table.
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Favorite, favorite place for BBQ when I visit Arizona. We literally get off the plane and drive to Gilbert for ribs & pulled pork and drool all the way. Sorry for the visual but it's true.
http://www.joesrealbbq...
The decor features picnic tables indoors, a great big tractor and cafeteria style dining. Tables for outdoor dining when it's cool enough. It's casual, make no mistake so don't worry about the BBQ sauce on your chin.
They have dine in and a take out window and they cater.
You absolute cannot go wrong with Joe's. If I was in Gilbert, Arizona I'd be there now.
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My favorite place to eat =)
Their food is sooo good. I have never gotten anything there and not liked it. I usually get the huge baked potato stuffed with chicken and a put lots of the bbq on it and i get the beans too (really good) if Im really hungry I get mac n cheese too. I always get the homemade rootbeer. Their rootbeer was the only thing i craved while i was pregnant...LoL.
And we always buy a couple bottles of the bbq sauce.
It is a great, casual, fun place to eat.
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If you haven't been here...WHY?! It is WELL worth the drive. My little bro, who is/was a picky eater would dine 3 times a day, 7 days a week here if he could (once he starts driving I'm not sure we'll see him around, ha!).
Pecan-smoked onsite, even the restrooms are permeated with the aroma. Hot links and brisket (sliced) w/ mac and cheese make up my usual. Root beer is fab, and the choc chip cookies are the best. And everything is made from scratch.
The decor for this place is amazing, just loved the vintage poster and the restored classic John Deer tractor in vivid green. Even the glass soda pop bottles still in ice in the tin tub were just so gosh darn cute.
Unfortunately, the food didn't quite match up to the decor. The main flavor profile was the sweetness that permeated the beef brisket, the pork rib, the hot links and...yes the baked beans. My favorite was the baked beans and the house made rootbeer which had an almost medicinal kick to it
Overall, the food was ok and the fun retro atmosphere is worth the vist if you're in the area.
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This is my favorite barbecue joint in the Valley. I'm not much of a meat eater, but I can't resist the BBQ at Joe's. I love the pulled pork sandwich. The barbecue sauce is phenomenal and will have you lapping up every last bite. The mac 'n' cheese, which comes with a crusted topping, is to-die-for and makes a wonderful side. The desserts here are also awesome. Be sure to try the rootbeer or the lemon cake.
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Joe's Real Barbecue is one of my family's favorite places. Great for groups, dates, kids, the grandparents, you name it. The atmosphere is strictly casual, with long picnic tables and plastic silverware. There is a big outdoor seating area we especially like, and if the kids finish before us they can run around in the grass without bothering anyone.
Go with the the pulled pork / sliced brisket combination with cole slaw and mac and cheese. Although everything I've tried here is good. The cheese bread is also especially tasty.
Oh, and how can I forget the lemon cake? Sweet and tangy, just like my Mom makes :)
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Have you ever been a vegetarian stuck with meat-eating relatives that don't care if you starve to death? I have.
Those relatives forced me to eat at Joe's Real Barbecue after a long day of "sightseeing" in the East valley. Does Tempe Town Lake really qualify as sightseeing?? It's not even a real lake!
We were all very hungry, and I guess the thought of barbecue trumped any reservations I had about not being able to find anything on the menu I could eat.
Just like I figured, Joe's didn't have any main entree items I could eat. They did, however, have giant baked potatoes and macaroni and cheese on the menu. I had ordered those, and enjoyed an amazing root beer (is that stuff homemade or something??) and this perfect brownie for dessert.
Just goes to show that you don't have to eat "real" barbecue to enjoy Joe's. Check it out!
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Great affordable BBQ! I had both the pulled pork and the beef brisket. The pulled pork was excellent, especially when you add the spicy BBQ sauce on top. The beef brisket was a bit on the dry end but still tasty none the less. If you're a root beer fan, definitely try their home made root beer. It a little bit taste like Barq's root beer, but has a tad more bite to it. Great drink to wash down your throat.
This is a standby for treating visitors to a glimpse of life in the East Valley, situated in that downtown stretch of Gilbert, the panoramic mural, the tractor, and the massive portions of absolutely amazing barbecue. Oh so tasty. The beef brisket and pulled pork are the best.
Excellent BBQ done right. Homemade root beer and soda by the glass bottle with a huge tractor in the middle of the restaurant to set this place off perfectly.
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It just wasn't that great to me. It's fine for BBQ and the baked beans were different (in a good way) but it just wasn't up to the hype I had heard about from so many different people.
I was a little apprehensive when we went to visit my newly-relocated parents in the Phoenix area... would it be a vast cultural wasteland with chains, chains, everywhere? Well, actually, it is... I have never seen so many freaking Wal-Marts so close together. (Between the airport and where my parents live, I counted five -- three regular and two supercenters. blecch.)
But then they suggested a yummy dinner for the day after Thanksgiving... and I was thrilled that it was BARBECUE! I am not exactly a connisseur, but from what I understand there is no bad barbecue. Only good barbecue and really fucking good barbecue. This falls under good, only because I don't know what really fucking good tastes like. (This might even be really fucking good but that will have to wait until I get myself to Memphis or KC or something.) I had the 1/2 lb meat plate, a veritable bargain with pulled pork, sliced brisket, a hunk of toasty bread, and a side of mac & cheese for only $8.99. The regular barbecue sauce is sweet and tangy and still manages to get a little heat in there, too. (There's also a spicier version, but I'm a wimp and I still wanted to be able to taste my meat.) Only four stars from me, though, because after spending a long day with the family, a cold beer would have been the perfect addition to my meal -- and yet there was NO alcohol sold on the premises. Sadness. (Also, they don't sell their sauces on the Internet, which meant that I didn't get to bring any home with me given that I wasn't willing to check my bag for the flight home.)
I will definitely be back here every time I find myself in the area visting the fam.
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