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I don't even like barbecue and I think Tommy Gunns rocks.
Walking into the joint (it's a cramped hole-in-the-wall), you are smacked with the intoxicating smell of smoky BBQ-y-ness that instantly makes your mouth water (take it from a semi-vegetarian).
I decided to break from my veg ways and have Jamaican jerk grilled chicken, which came with 13-spice fries (not spicy, just tasty). The chicken was so good, grilled perfectly with a little kick. The fries were crispy-crunchy and seasoned just right.
My companion had the Memphis dry-rubbed ribs, which are served with a generous side of the smokiest, most delicious homemade BBQ sauce on the planet. He loved the ribs.
It's quick, cheap, friendly and damn good. Nothing to complain about here.
I must admit I have been eating bbq at Tommy Gunns since they opened. I generally eat the wings or brisket and in the past I've been very happy with the brisket except for yesterday.
My sense of the brisket yesterday was dry, barely smoked and quite frankly bad. Must say a bit disappointed. I generally loved the brisket at TG but I may need to only eat wings
The food here is great. There is no denying that. That is the reason my wife chose TG's as the caterer for our wedding, We started the process in January and were married in July. It was a simple buffet to feed 120 people. I guess the catering assistant changed a few times so there was some confusion over who we were and what we were order, but that was no big deal. The one thing that the manager of our wedding venue stressed was that the caterer was to clean up and remove the trash, linens and tableware immediately after the wedding, He even went as far as to express hesitation at using TG's because he said that they have a reputation for not providing this service. Despite this, we had the manager, and Michael, the owenr go on a walkthrough of the venue, where the manager told Michael that he needed to clean up afterwards or he could not cater our event.
Fast forward to 3 days before our wedding. The catering assitant tells me that their workers have to leave at 10 and will not be cleaning up after the wedding because they only work for five hours. In addition, if we want the plates and trash removed, we have to have everything broken down at 9pm and we have to pay extra for trash removal and truck rental, because their trucks are being used at other full service events. Had I known this was the case, I would have paid for these services in advance. Michael told me that his priority was the other two events, which was an absolutely unprofessional thing to say given the circumstances. Not only did he not hold true to the conditions set forth by the venue manager, Michael apologetically acted as if he was doing me a favor and I was the reason why these problems were occurring.
I may eat here again, but I will absolutely never use them for catering and will emphatically suggest that others do the same.
I guess for Philadelphia, the BBQ is good since we're not down south. But I definitely don't think it is as good as all the hype it gets and I though the prices were a bit unreasonable for what you're getting. Really no sit down area so plan on ordering takeout.
I've been driving past Tommy Gunn's for a long time but never actually ate anything there until this weekend. Maybe it was because I really enjoy bbq or had high expectations for the place, but I was rather disappointed by the food. My ribs were not soft enough and the rub was nothing special at all. The french fries were way to spicy and rather cold. Also, the cashier messed up my order and ended up charging me for an additional side order. The food was just to expensive for the middling quality. Not horrible but just disappointing.
I always go WHOLE HOG here and get deep fried mac and cheese with everything. Their whole quart of pulled pork is a steal @ $15 and the St. Louis ribs were voted best in Philly and really are.
In a BBQ shaq (!) near a bus depot, good service isn't expected - but they do a great job. Once they ask you for your name with order they use it repeatedly and don't forget it.
The 5th star is for incredible micro-brew sodas. When bringing drinks home, I can't put the straws in before I get in the car or there'll be nothing left to drink when I get home.
One of the Best BBQ places in Philadelphia by far. The pulled pork is good but I would recommend on any day their brisket. The sauces are pretty good(even though I like mine a little spicier) The sides are just ok, nothing that will blow you away if you weren't tasting it for the 3rd time(ahem other reviewers, I'm pointing to you). The one thing that really makes it a so-so experience every time I go there is the cornbread. Along with the BBQ Sauce you have got to have good cornbread to be an above average BBQ place to me. Plus...Its not that hard to make really good cornbread folks, go get the blue box for God's sake.
I love hole-in-the-wall places with great comfort food, and Tommy Gunn's is just that. This tiny, unassuming joint at an odd corner of Ridge Ave. offers up some of the best BBQ I've ever had. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, baked beans and the remarkable fried mac-n-cheese... it's cardiac-killing goodness the size of a hockey puck... it was phenomenal. The staff was young and friendly... the outdoor seating was nice... and I was even lucky enough to grab one of the 3-4 spots in their tiny parking lot. All-in-all, everything made for a simple yet great eating experience at a truly unique place!
I recently used Tommy Gunns to cater an event that I planned.
They were very professional and helpful in the menu planning and getting me under my budget.
The food is phenominal! We had burgers, dogs, pulled pork, portabello mushroom sandwiches (reallly good), beans, corn and to die for brownies. The staff who actually catered the event were awesome and I would definitely recommend them for catering in the future!
My only complaint is that they don't bottle their sauce..we asked about it and they have tried but keep hitting some road blocks
So good. It's hard to decide what to get. Get it all. The baked macaroni cheese ball. Collard greens. The wings are excellent. The ribs too. If you live outside of the city, stop by here on your way home. Head towards Kelly or Lincoln Drive, it's not hard to find. Eat in or take out. I'm getting so hungry writing.
Absolutely the best rib house in Philly You cant pass this one up!!!!!
Before my flight back to Chicago my friend and I were debating on what to eat as my final send off meal before returning home to the windy lovely. At first I had my doubts about trying a BBQ in Philly (more noteable in Manayunk), but man was I happy to explore the BBQ genius of Tommy Gunn's.
I've had some quality top notch BBQ in my day and I gotta hand it to Tommy Gunn's, when they do BBQ they do it right. We ended up ordering about 50 dollars worth of food between the two of us and I gotta say for two young men with fairly healthy appetites we polished everything off.
Baby-back-ribs. Nicely smoked with a nice rub with a little kick to it.
BBQ Chicken Wings. OMG. This was my favorite dish out of the meal. So tender yet not overly smokey in flavor, just the perfect combination of sweet, tasty, grilled delicious chicken.
Fried Mac-n-Cheese. Deliciousness in a clever corn muffin like package.
Fries. Eh. Not the best seasoned fries but consumed none the less.
Cole Slaw. Slaw as it is, nothing out of the ordinary but sweet and creamy enough to balance the palette in between bites of bbquey goodness.
Lemon Garlic Potato Salad-acidic vinegar dressing but counter balanced all the sweet, meaty, salty goodness.
Yeah, so the next time I'm in town forget Pat's, forget Rita's water ice, I'm heading straight for Tommy Gunn's to get my Philly BBQ fix.
Deep fried mac n cheese. That's all I need say. That's all you need know. So tell your cadiologist to piss off. You need deep fried cheese and you need it now.
It has it's ups and downs though.
Ribs. Great.
Pulled pork. So-so.
BBQ sauce. Chuggable.
Lemon garlic potato salad. Disappointing. (Though I have to disclaim I've probably had one other good potato salad save for my grandmother's.)
Grilled portabello. Outstanding.
Greens. Spicy. Yumm.
All in all it's a bit pricey but worth the lip smacking satisfaction
This place is as close to the real deal as you can find in Philly. I went to school right up the hill and tried this place the first week it opened. Coming from California, I craved good BBQ since we tend to barbeque for large gatherings all year round.
The owner was there I asked if he could make tri-tip (a special cut of meet found only West of the Rockies). He was familiar with the Santa Maria BBQ style tri-tip but unfortunately he can't get the cut done in Philly. I go for the brisket or the chicken most of the time. The beans are excellent too. Just be wary of the parking situation, it can be tricky.
If your only experience at Tommy Gunn's was the now-defunct South Street branch, give it another shot. That store was remarkably horrible. How could the food quality decline that much over 10 miles? The Ridge Ave Tommy Gunn's, however, is some damn good bbq. They have great sides, especially the deep fried mac n cheese - its delicious, and its shaped like one of those taco frisbees from Taco Bell and you can eat it like one, which is disgustingly delicious! My favorite things at Tommy Gunn's are the sandwiches. The brisket sandwich is fantastic, arguably the best brisket in town. The slices are thick, yet the beef is so tender its like eating butter (probably about as healthy). The pulled pork is fantastic too. I would recommend either for your first visit. Good bbq sauce also, its got a nice mix of sweet and spicy.
The true test of any BBQ joint, in my book, is the pork ribs, and Tommy Gunn's is right up there with the best. The ribs are huge! You won't be left hungry. The BBQ sauce really complements the ribs too, and they really are cooked quite well. I've only had them once (I'm a sucker for the brisket) but I would suggest you give em a shot.
Overall, great BBQ place. Not to be missed.
i'm not a big bbq sauce person but the first time i had a taste of tommy gunn's, i was converted. it's better than dave's and this is not the brain child of tim gun of project runaway. this is a small business restaurant and you will feel like you know everybody. don't be afraid if you see that the place is small and there is no place to eat when you get here because it can get crowded. well, you have an option - take it out, have a picnic and watch the navy regatta in the philly river.
When I had my Bat Mitzvah a couple of years ago (yes, I'm officially a woman now) who did I call to cater the party? Why, Tommy Gunn's, of course!
Sure, it might seem a little wacky to have BBQ at a Jewish rite of passage celebration, but I'm Southern and unconventional and besides, it was my party and I'll eat what I wanted to. Everything I've ever had from this joint has been super delicious and authentic, and the service is always great. Whether you want a simple pulled pork sandwich (my favorite) or enough food to serve 100 hungry people, you should pay them a visit.
WoW. it's definitely been awhile since I've had Tommy Gunn's! Needless to say if more places were like it I would be a BBQ eating machine! they always offer up good sized portions with plenty of hickory smoked goodness.
Now it's been forever since I've seen a Tommy Gunn's in business which kind of sucks since it used to be a staple of mine (Jake P.'s review brings back some good memories). But as Carrie mentions they should still be around for catering. And I do know that they serve food at a few other places like World Cafe Live.
Pretty good- huge sandwiches with lots of meat and really good sauce. Sides were not great- pot salad was not good but coleslaw and beans were fine. Probably better for take out. Really good micro- brewed sodas!
Tommy Gunn's blew me away! The Barbecue was delicious and they had a lot of great side orders. I knew I was gonna like this place the moment I walked thru the door and smell that intoxicating aroma of char grilled meat and especially when i saw that each table had a whole roll of full sized paper towels instead of those dainty napkins! Yes sir, this was gonna be an old fashoined, messy, food smackdown up in here! I ordered the Beef Brisket sandwich and some Ribs, with a side of Baked Beans and an order of that Deep Fried Mac & Cheese.(Don't forget the side order of Lipitor!) Everything was delicious and it made me want to call my Doctor and tell him to "Have a coke and a smile and shut the f--k up!.
I was introduced to Tommy Gunn's by way of the now defunct South Street location. The place had this amazing yellow/orange light inside, homemade cola, three kinds of sauces (Texas, 'Bama, Carolina) and they played the hardest '50s Blues-Rock records I've ever heard in my life. Sadly, they closed.
Years later, I'm hiking through Rittenhouse Town, down towards the falls, and upon completing my detox, BOOM - Tommy Gunn's, right on Ridge Avenue. Let me tell you, there is no better way to finish a hike than to eat some (as Bill Cosby aptly says) "B-B-Q."
Tommy Gunn's is ideal for takeout for sporting events, backyard barbeques, and casual parties. They're not cheap per se, but they're worth every penny.
People love the fries, I do not. I swear by TG's cole slaw all the way. They also have deep fried macaroni and cheese, which will wipe off more years of your life than smoking a carton of Pall Mall's, but definitely worth trying.
I miss this place from Center City, especially when so many of the alternatives lack the ambiance that made Tommy Gunn's my favorite Friday lunch spot.
Tommy's is a little over-rated. There really isn't any good bbq around Philly. Nothing exceptional anyway. While I wouldn't get the ribs here, the pork and chicken aren't bad, and the sides are pretty darn good.
There is no other. If you want BBQ you need to go to this place.
Tommy Gunn's showed great potential when it opened a few years ago, fading I'm afraid into mediocrity and stuck with the stigma of unfulfilled promise. Even the outdoor tables, in the beginning looking simply rustic now look uncared for like something out of Tabacco Road. You almost expect to see a derelict car up on milk crates rusting at one end of the parking lot. The BBQ pork sandwich is very good indeed, the chicken sandwich less so but palatable, the ribs OK. What I couldn't understand from day one was how uninspired, lackluster and simply not appetizing were the sides and that hasn't changed. The corn bread dry, nothing nothing is done to combat the innate sourness of the collards, the cole slaw, no taste, same for the potato salad which is also dry. I knew a wise restaurateur who said that it is smart of restaurant owners to take "great care of the vegetables and the side dishes as the center of the plate can take care with itself". Very good advice. Having said that I still get their pork sandwich occasionally
I rode my bike with my sister all the way down Kelly Drive on evening. Our destination was Tommy Gunn's. I was hankering for a nice big rack of ribs. Unfortunately we got there to late and they were closed. We ended up going to the Manyunk Diner. I got ribs there and they were ok, but did not satisfy the delicious meal I had envisioned after our ride. The last time I ate at Tommy's the ribs were so very tasty and lip smackin, I dunno why it took me so long to return. The point I'm trying to make here if you dig good BBQ, this should be an eventual destination
This place by the bus station is one helluva BBQ place, I went there last Saturday the day Phillies clinched with my Phillies hat and Utley shirt ate with my family and boy we were lucky it was not jampacked. Parking would have been the issue if it was, Friendly staff who by the way was also a Phillies fan prolly wishing he would rather watch Moyer pitch than cook BBQ but you know his job ai'nt bad at all. TOP NOTCH BBQ Get the Philly Style Slab of Ribs lathered in sweet spicy sauce and really big boned, I also tried a half slab of Memphis style It was okay and good but not as MMMMMM good as the Philly style. I also had the fries and the deep fried Mac and Cheese which my son absolutely loved, it could pass as gourmet Mac and cheese. The sodas on the dispensers were local old school style Sugar Kola and Birch beer They accept Visa cards (calling out Ron's Ribs) and the ventilation was good I never smelled like hickory when I got out (calling out again Ron's Ribs). Try Tommy Gunns and make sure you will not feel guilty afterwards because you would really throw that diet outta the window.
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Barbeque
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Barbeque
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Barbeque
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