Sweet P’s BBQ Downtown Dive

We come here every year as we drive down to Florida.
If you need safe gluten free options, then I would skip this place. This was our first time taking my stepdaughter who has Celiac so we need safe gluten free options. The only thing she could safely order was the chicken, which was fine. Even though the chicken was separate from the other food she still got contaminated and had stomach pain the remainder of the night and into the next morning. This was extremely unfortunate as we were traveling.
The staff was very patient and helpful when discussing what her options were but I feel they were more educated on gluten intolerance not necessarily Celiac disease.

As I said we come every year and will continue to do so just not when we need safe gluten free options. Leaving 4 stars. This place is great and highly recommended!

The food was excellent and the service was just as the food, excellent. The atmosphere made you think BBQ.

BBQ sampler was excellent and good portion for 2. Sides were delicious, especially the tomato, cucumber salad

Well, the portions are hearty and you won't leave hungry. It isn't the greatest BBQ you'll ever have and it definitely has a chain restaurant feel to it, but I didn't hate it. I did enjoy the "thick" sauce on my 1/2 slab of ribs but when I asked what was in it to give it that kick no one working there had any idea. Apparently it's made and bottled somewhere else. Not as authentic as other places but prices are on par with other restaurants in the area. Keep expectations in check and you might leave somewhat satisfied.

KNOXVILLE, TN 37902 / AMERICAN BBQ / 09-24-23 / LUNCH

+The "Thick" sauce was pretty good.
+I got the greens and stuff along with the house salad. The sides were the best part of the meal.

-Like other reviewers, the meat was very dry.
-No smoke ring or smoke flavor on the meat.
-The "Hot" and "Thin" sauces were meh.
-The tables and floor were pretty dirty; the place wasn't busy during lunch time, so staff members could have cleaned some of the tables and condiment bottles.
-Something hurt my stomach.

As someone from California, I am not used to dry rubs and unfortunately I was not a fan. I wanna get lost is my bbq sauce. Ribs were cook good though. Sides were meh.

Food was ok, but pretty pricey overall. When you walk in, menu is a bit confusing, staff not super welcoming. Had a good time, but likely won't come back.

After a search on Yelp for good BBQ we decided on Sweet P's. The location was easy enough to find and had street and lot parking nearby. I liked the look of the place when we got there with a small bar up front and the food right after. It is counter service with a large chalk board full of choices.

For me I decided on brisket and the two sides of slaw and greens. The guy behind the counter said these were the best greens he has had, I guess he hasn't eaten many collard greens because they were bland and had no acidity.

The brisket was okay with the flavor but it came from seasoning that was put on after so I can't tell if it was smoked or not because that seasoning covered it up. The slaw was prey good and I tasted the chicken from one of the others in the party and it needed a lot of sauce to help the dryness.

I wanted to like Sweet P's, but wanting doesn't always line up with having. I think on the next visit we will look for other BBQ options.

MY 100TH REVIEW!!! WAHOOOOOOO....Too bad it was at a mediocre bbq place. My chicken was dry and the greens didn't have enough acidity. I also got the tator salad which was pretty good. My family liked the brisket but they said they had better and agreed with me about the greens. My uncle's ribs were just ok. We were surprised because reviews were so good. But I guess bbq is personal.

Service was great and the place was clean. Prices were pretty on point so no complaints there. Good beer selection and it was cold. Their bbq sauces were very good too. So it did have a lot of pros.

I love me some good bbq, sadly it's been hard for me to find really great bbq spots here in East Tennessee. I do enjoy coming here though, they have plenty of seating on the main floor and also the bar area and upstairs outdoor area which I love when the weather is nice out.

I think it's more on the pricey side so don't be alarmed when you check out haha. There's a huge chalk board menu at the front where you order. The meats are sitting in the smoker and they just pull it out when you order so I could see the meats getting dried out depending on when you go and how long they have been sitting in there. They use this dry seasoning that they put shake on all the meats before they give it to you. I feel like if you know how to smoke meat correctly you don't have to add a bunch of seasonings or spices to it. You're just losing the flavor of the meat at that point.

I will say I do enjoy their ribs just wish they used less seasoning, the brisket was just ok to me. I wasn't a fan of those Mac and cheese l, it's a little dry I like more of a creamier Mac and cheese. I'm a huge potato salad fan and their tater salad is spot on, I also really enjoyed their tomato n' blues salad I could literally eat that everyday. They have a few different house made bbq sauces on the tables, definitely try them all! They spicier one was my favorite.

The staff all seem pretty friendly when I've gone and they keep the restaurant well kept up, I've never seen food trays left on tables or trash or anything. I will continue coming here because I do like the location and food is pretty good.