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Johnny Boy Carryout
Rating Details »
Category: Barbeque
4125 Southern AvenueCapitol Heights, MD 20743
(301) 736-6300
One and Only One Johnny Boy
Please be aware that there's only ONE Johnny Boy. Some rib businesses in the area are claiming they are related to us. Not true at all !!
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- None
5 reviews for Johnny Boy Carryout
Women are often referred to as the better half, and in my case, that definitely holds true. What makes my wife so awesome? Well, the theory I subscribe to says that she was formed from a rib, and since ribs are my favorite food, how can she not be awesome? And just as I can't get enough of my wife, I can't get enough ribs, and even a day without her/them is a sad, sad day. For example, I just knocked off one of my longest standing bookmarks: Johnny Boy's in La Plata, MD and dropped nearly $50 for some BBQ on Saturday. Today (Mon), I wanted to try Johnny Boy carryout b/c 1) I can eat ribs everyday, that is until my doctor says, "Stop," at which point I'll get a new doctor and 2) I wanted to compare the two Johnny Boy's.
As far as the ribs, sides, and sauce, I'd give the nod to Johnny Boy's in La Plata. For value and not having to drive 50 miles, I'll say Johnny Boy Carryout wins. As far as local competition (Fat Face and Rosebud's), JBC easily beats out Fat Face, but the competition with Rosebud's is very close.
Location - The first thing I noticed about this place is that the small parking lot in front was full of cars with people waiting for the place to open. As the name would suggest, this place is carryout only and the bulletproof glass should give a fair indication as to what type of neighborhood you are in. There's a counter where you order your food at and there's a separate counter where you order drinks, desserts, and seafood salad. Note: Cash only! They're also open relatively late for a BBQ joint: 11pm M-Th and midnight F-Sa.
Food - I ordered the rib platter ($11), which comes with cole slaw and a choice of fries and potato salad - I chose the potato salad. Since everyone in front of me made their way to the other counter and ordered the seafood salad, I did the same. As I eagerly waited for my order, I heard a guy working behind the glass shout, "#42!" When I glanced over, I wasn't sure what I had just seen since it happened so fast, but I felt like I was watching Super Bowl XXXVIII when Janet's breast was momentarily shown on screen. But unlike Janet's boob, the dude said, "Alright. How about this one?" He held up another succulent slab, and the lady nodded in approval. Apparently, for full slab orders, they hold up the rib and ask for your approval. What a novel--and naughty if you like food pron--proposition.
As I eagerly hopped back in my car and drove back to the office, I almost gnawed my nondriving hand off as the smell was intoxicating. When I finally got back to the office, I immediately dug in and thoroughly enjoyed my meal. The ribs were a tad dry, especially at the tops, but the meat on the bone was rather tender. The platter comes with 5 bones, which is a smaller portion than you would receive at Rosebud's. The meat was not as smoky (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) but the rub added a nice flavor.
The sides were the type of salads I enjoy, i.e., they consist primarily of mayonnaise. The seafood salad was great - elbow macaroni with little pieces of imitation crabmeat, shrimpy shrimp, and old bay. The cole slaw was also good - not as good as Johnny Boy's, but still good. The potato salad on the other hand, tasted like it's parts rather than the sum of it's parts, and wasn't very enjoyable. By that, I mean on certain bites, I tasted straight potato, straight egg on others, and on others, straight mayonnaise. I'll go with the french fries next time.
As any good carryout in MD should, Johnny Boy also provides fried chicken wings (roughly $1 each) and fried fish ($8 for 4 pieces). Minced BBQ sandwiches are reasonably priced at $4.50.
Sauce - I'm not sure what it is about Capitol Heights, but all the BBQ sauce reminds me of the kind you find at Cluck U, so some of you BBQ aficionados may not consider this true BBQ sauce, but I like it. The mild sauce (http://www.yelp.com/bi..., in the back), has a neon hue to it and was excellent. The hot sauce however, wasn't as good as I had hoped after reading the reviews here. In fact, it tasted much like the mild just with tons of black pepper added to it. That's not to say it's not good, but it didn't elevate the ribs as I had hoped.
Service - efficient and friendly, as any BBQ joint should be. I'm gonna give the guy working behind the glass even more props b/c he doesn't cut the spareribs, he chops it, a la a Peruvian chicken place, and he is deadly accurate. To wield a meat cleaver with that type of accuracy makes you pretty awesome in my book.
So on my search for good BBQ near me, I think I've found another winner in Johnny Boy Carryout. Good ribs and you get a good amount of food for the $ (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). I'll still say Johnny Boy's in La Plata is my favorite BBQ place thus far, but if I'm in the mood for BBQ in a pinch, I'll head to Rosebud's or JBC.
I have lived in New Orleans and spent time in Memphis and Johnny Boy's has the best ribs I have ever eaten. While the location is sketchy (you pay for your ribs through 3 inches of bullet proof glass) and i don't really need half a loaf of Wonder bread with each slab....I cannot stay away from this place. The ribs are cooked to perfection and the sauce is both sweet and spicy at the same time.
For a side, try the sweet potato pie..its pre-packaged but still delicious.
If you just want down home ribs, then this is your place. Its very tasty just saucy ribs and white bread. How much simpler can you get? Good stuff!
people in the dc area that don;t know about this spot are missing out! like for real for real. Hands down the best ribs in the area. People are very friendly too. Hot sauce is offfff the chains good! Mild sauce is bomb too. Ribs fall off the bone. Been goin to this spot for ages, one of the old tymers who been working there just passed away, sad to hear about that.
Like I said, the best ribs in dc, period. I got friends from chicago and texas who i took to this spot and they agree it is phenomenal. Never had anything besides ribs so I can't vouch for the other items, but i heard the chicken is fantastic too.
I dunno about this place. The sauce is fantastic but 2 out of 4 ribs were dry as a bone (no pun intended.) The other two ribs were PERFECT. Maybe if I lived closer I'd be willing to take my chances more often, but a .500 batting average isn't good enough.
(Seriously though, high marks for the sauce.)
Specialties
-Authentic barbeque ribs & chicken
-Tangy and tasty Hot sauce
-Homemade lemon / chocolate / double chocolate cake
-Seafood salad
History
Established in 1961
Johnny Boy has been using the same authentic barbeque technique to cook its ribs since 1961. In order for the meat to be juicy and tender, slow grilling for each rack of ribs is a must. The secret recipe of marinating the ribs is also very important. The end result is that each slab is grill to perfection and the juices are trapped inside the meat with a tender texture. This has been the reason why Johnny Boy stands out from those typical "barbeque" restaurants. Unlike Johnny Boy, these "barbeque" restaurants usually boil the ribs until they are cooked. The ribs are then covered heavily with barbeque sauce. No doubt the ribs are tender, but where is the "barbeque" part?
