Cincinnati’s barbecue is a delicious, well-kept secret from the rest of the world, but Queen City residents know the deal, and that just means more delicious smoked meats, homemade BBQ sauces and hearty sides of mac ‘n cheese, coleslaw and greens for the rest of us.

But if you’re not in on the secret, we’ll happily share it with you. From classic joints with simple menus to ones with a New Orleans twist or a gift for crafting new dishes from old favorites, these are the Cincinnati area’s barbecue spots you should try before you die (if the flavors don’t send you straight to heaven first).

Bee’s Barbecue 5910 Chandler St., Madisonville Bee’s believes good barbecue takes time and that smoking meat is an art – one they practice every day with patience and passion, using high-quality and locally sourced ingredients – even the wood they use is locally sourced. What results from that patience and dedication is a menu filled with tender, fresh barbecue you can buy by the half-pound or pound, on a sandwich or as a plate complemented with sides like creamy mac ‘n cheese, sticky BBQ beans and sweet honey cornbread. If you have any room left for dessert (or if you just want to power through), you won’t want to miss Bee’s Bourbon Peach Cobbler, crafted with bourbon- and brown sugar-laced peaches with a sugar crumble crust, or proprietor Bee’s personal favorite: the banana pudding – made with fluffy layers of fresh bananas, whipped cream and vanilla wafer cookies. Photo: Provided by Bee's Barbecue
Eli’s BBQ 133 W. Elder St., Over-the-Rhine; 3313 Riverside Drive, Columbia Tusculum Eli’s has over 15 outdoor picnic tables for dining, both in the sun and the shade. Celebrate a warm afternoon with a cold brew and some delicious barbecue, like their pulled pork sandwich with a slide of jalapeño cheddar grits and baked beans. Bring your own beer and enjoy the warmth by the river. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Ollie’s Trolley 1607 Central Ave., West End Located in a bright yellow and red trolley car, Ollie’s Trolley is a soul food staple in Cincinnati. This little trolley serves a variety of smoked meats, including ribs, turkey tips and pulled pork, plus metts and burgers. They also offer plenty of sides, like collard greens, buttered corn and potato salad. For dessert, get a slice of their lemon pound cake or chess pie, or take a whole pie or cake home to share. Photo: Sami Stewart
Pig Candy BBQ 5901 Kellogg Ave., California Serving up food so good it’s criminal, Pig Candy BBQ offers a menu of craft barbecue, homemade sauces and inventive sides from their location in a former jail. Meats are smoked on-site and the sides and sauces are made from scratch. Specialties include their Pig Candy Waffle (a gluten-free waffle pressed with pulled pork, topped with maple peach glaze and served with Pig Candy’s tangy white sauce on the side); mac ‘n cheese topped with pulled pork, the sweet and sour red sauce and slaw; and a sampler so you can try a little bit of everything. Photo: Facebook.com/eatpigcandy
Goodies BBQ 7440 Hamilton Ave., Mt. Healthy Goodies knows their pork butt: pit-smoked slowly ’til the fat has completely dissolved and a crunchy, caramelized crust has formed on the outside. Lip-smackin’ rib tips and Buffalo wings are complemented by standard Southern sides of collard greens, red beans and rice or mac & cheese. For those not tempted by the sauce, there’s the fish or fried okra. Peach cobbler, sweet potato pie and chess pie are available for dessert. Photo: Facebook.com/Goodiesbarbeque
Incline Smoke Shack 7391 Forbes Road, Sayler Park Incline Smoke Shack serves up its handcrafted barbecue from a food truck permanently parked outside 13 Below Brewery in Sayler Park. Stop by for one of their insanely good barbecue sandwiches like their smoked turkey club, topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato and their cranberry walnut spread, or the chopped brisket, which is tossed with caramelized onions. Sides include favorites like Saratoga chips, mac ‘n cheese and housemade pickles, as well as a sweetcorn spoon bread that you can share…but you probably won’t want to. For a cold beverage, stop in 13 Below for a beer or a housemade hard seltzer (we recommend the orange cream). Photo: facebook.com/inclinesmokeshack
Alabama Que 2733 Short Vine St., Corryville Alabama Que was founded by Dwan Ward, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and former UC football player, in 2008. An Alabama native, Ward’s restaurant oozes Southern charm and a food truck was added to the business to keep up with growing demand. Some meat options include smoked chicken, beef ribs, smoked salmon and their famous turkey tips. Add some of their sides like the green beans, yams or mac & cheese for a hearty barbecue meal, and top it all off with a dessert: peach or apple cobbler, lemon or chocolate cake or banana pudding. Photo:Facebook.com/AlabamaQueFanPage
Smoke Justis 302 Court St., Covington Smoke Justis is an urban sports bar where you can catch live music, sporting events and other festivities. The menu includes a variety of smoked meat plates, with options ranging from ribs and wings to brisket and pulled pork. The menu also sports a wide selection of bourbon and craft beer. Photo: Facebook/SmokeJustis
Pickles & Bones BBQ 1149 Ohio 131, Milford Pickles & Bones is a carry-out and catering establishment located in Milford. They offer traditional barbecue plates, sandwich meals, meat by the pound and scratch-made sides. Notable barbecue dishes include hot link sausages, pulled pork sandwiches and pulled Amish chicken. Photo: Facebook/PicklesandBones
Just Q’in BBQ 975 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills Owned by Matt Cuff, this Walnut Hills barbecue joint is “committed to the mission of Faith, Love and BBQ.” On the menu, you’ll find smoked brisket, ribs, chicken and more. And don’t skip on the classic barbecue sides. Need more convincing? Even U.S. President Joe Biden gobbled up Just Q’in’s brisket, mac & cheese, jalapeño cornbread and peach cobbler during a visit to Cincinnati. Grab it all by the plate or by the pound for catering. Photo: Lindsay McCarty
Velvet Smoke BBQ 5626 Cheviot Road, White Oak Velvet Smoke BBQ has been serving the Cincinnati community with award-winning, championship barbecue since 2012 after a competition barbecue team decided to follow their passion and cater to a larger audience of barbecue lovers. You can get that championship-quality barbecue on a sandwich, as part of a classic barbecue plate (served with a piece of garlic bread) or as meat by the pound. All their sides are scratch-made and you can order their barbecue sauces (ranging from the mild Sweet & Tangy to the hot PitFire) as half-pints, pints and quarts. Photo: facebook.com/vsqwhiteoak
Beards & Bellies BBQ 629 York St., Newport For champion-quality barbecue with a New Orleans twist, you can find Beards & Bellies at Wooden Cask Brewing Company in Newport. On the menu, you’ll find the NOLA influences through their use of Cajun spices, Creole mustard, pimento cheese and Andouille sausage. But, you’ll also see all the hallmarks of a good barbecue menu: chopped brisket, pulled pork, Memphis-style ribs and hearty sides. Photo: facebook.com/beardsandbelliesbbq
Sinners & Saints Tavern 2062 Riverside Drive, East End Sinners & Saints Tavern is known for its wickedly good pub-style food, but the kings of the menu are their smoked meats that star in most dishes. Try the smoked brisket as a plate or on a sandwich, or the pulled pork on a bun or the naan street tacos. Sides include delicious cornbread made with sweet roasted corn and fresh chilis and served with honey butter, mac ‘n cheese featuring cavatappi pasta and smoked cheddar and cole slaw made with their creamy house dressing. Photo: facebook.com/sinsaintsmoke
Midwest Best BBQ & Creamery 669 Justice Court, Loveland Using locally sourced and all-natural ingredients, Midwest BBQ offers some of the freshest, tastiest barbecue in town. Founded in 2009 to sell their MB Simply Sweet BBQ sauce, the restaurant quickly evolved into a popular barbecue joint. Their menu boasts entrees including a chopped chicken sandwich; a smoked turkey wrap; smoke-fried wings; chopped chicken, pulled pork, smoked turkey and beef brisket by the pound and gluten-free options. They also serve delicious sides like creamy slaw and baked beans. They like to pair their barbecue with ice cream, offering 12 flavors of Hershey’s hand-dipped ice cream as dips, shakes and malts, sundaes and more. Photo: Facebook/MidwestBestBBQ
Lucius Q 1131 Broadway St., Pendleton Sporting a modern industrial vibe, Lucius Q’s mission of “peace, love & BBQ” aims to bring everyone together with the help of their menu of authentic barbecue, Southern-style sides and a variety of craft beers, cocktails and spirits. The meat comes from Avril-Bleh and is smoked low and slow over oak and cherry wood. Get it on a sandwich, featuring bread from local bakeries, or by the pound with a side of their creamy mac ‘n cheese or flavorful collard greens. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Sweets & Meats BBQ 3440 Burnet Ave., Avondale Sweets & Meats offers their delicious smoked meats, homemade sides and desserts from their food truck and catering company. Their menu features classic combo meals, like the brisket or pulled pork sandwich paired with two of their Southern-style sides, as well as the specialty BBQ 4-Way: Made with baked mac n’ cheese and topped with the protein of your choice, coleslaw and barbecue sauce, it’s like a barbecue sundae. Just make sure to leave a little room for dessert. You don’t want to miss out on the banana pudding, gourmet cake or cobbler. Photo: Facebook.com/sweetsandmeats
Montgomery Inn 9440 Montgomery Road, Montgomery; Montgomery Inn Boathouse, 925 Riverside Drive, Downtown World famous for its ribs, Ted and Matula Gregory’s Montgomery Inn has been a staple in Cincinnati since 1951. Matula’s secret-recipe sweet and tangy all-natural barbecue sauce dresses the hand-spiced, slow-roasted and custom broiled ribs and is featured on everything from barbecue spring chicken and pork chops to Saratoga chips. Photo: facebook.com/MontgomeryInnMontgomery
Harmon’s BBQ 3481 Valley Plaza Parkway, Fort Wright From the picnic-style tables to the animal skulls on the walls, everything about Harmon’s screams American barbecue. The restaurant exudes Southern charm. Harmon’s offers a wide variety of smoked meats, from briskets to sausage to turkey breast. They also can whip up sandwiches, potatoes topped with protein and a tasty selection of Southern-style sides. Don’t skip on their banana pudding for dessert. Photo: facebook.com/harmonbbq
Triple J’s Bar-B-Que Triple J’s Bar-B-Que dishes out soul food specialties from their food truck all around Cincinnati. The menu offers a variety of smoked meats, from ribs and smoked wings to fish, burgers and classic barbecue sides. Photo: facebook.com/Triple J's Bar B Que
McK’s BBQ (PERMANENTLY CLOSED) 11 W. Seventh St., Covington; 7521 Gibson St., Liberty Township McK’s prides itself on its high-quality barbecue and community-driven atmosphere. Menus vary slightly between its Covington and Liberty Township locations, but the first-rate flavor of their smoked meats remains consistent. The menu features the classics like meat by the pound offerings, ribs, BBQ sandwiches, Southern-style sides and wings, as well as more unique dishes like the chicken chorizo burrito and the Famous Pork Grenade: sweet cornbread stuffed with smoked pork and maple bourbon butter and topped with coleslaw and bacon bits. Photo: Provided by McK’s BBQ

Do you have a news tip?

SEND A NEWS TIP

Subscribe to our Mailing List!

Sign up. We hope you like us, but if you don't, you can unsubscribe by following the links in the email, or by dropping us a note at policy@citybeat.com.

By clicking “Sign up” above, you consent to allow us to contact you via email, and store your information using our third-party service provider. To see more information about how your information is stored and privacy protected, visit our policies page.