That BBQ Joint

This spot is good. Really good. I sampled the rib tips and they were a little different from what I’m used to but not in a bad way at all. I ordered them to go and the sauce was served on the side — I actually like that! The sauces are awesome here and the best part is that they are not stingy at all… if you want more sauce — it’s available. I enjoyed being able to mix and match and see what combination tasted the best. My favorite is a dip in mustard and a dunk in regular — perfect.
The real surprise here was the Reuben sandwich. This thing delivered in a big way and is absolutely delicious. My dining partner ordered this monster and despite its proportions finished it in no time. I am definitely willing to say that this is the best Reuben in Madison, hands down, and this is no small feat.
I will be back here. Definitely recommend calling ahead for takeout as the establishment is small… they accommodate in house dining — just don’t count on it.

I love that bbq joint. We’ve made it a weekly tradition every Wednesday and I sneak in once a week or so more as it’s the best! My favorite is the smoked wings, but everything I’ve had is amazing– the ribs, the half chicken, the rib tubs as well as the brisket and pulled pork. All the sides are super, I like the creamy slaw, brisket chili and collards best. Try the jalapeños hush puppies as well, they are amazing. Make sure you check the hours as they are closed Monday Tuesday and close down for lunch midday as well.

We had a couple of sandwiches there last week and they were very good. A chicken salad and a brisket. The brisket had coleslaw and a pickle on it that I think is called Kansas City style and really gave some spark to it. The chicken salad had some raisins and other stuff in it that make it interesting and yummy. Our only suggestion is that they use less meat in the sandwiches. There is way to much for this bun and it overpowers the other flavors. Don’t get me wrong I like a big one but it’s really not needed in this very nice sandwich.

Okay, I spend a lot of time searching out new and delicious BBQ wherever I travel. My standards for BBQ are VERY high and I’ve had a chance to visit some amazing places as well as judge competition BBQ. With that in mind I was excited to hear about a new option for BBQ here in Madison and decided to give it a shot as soon as I was in the neighborhood. It took quite a bit longer than I wanted but today I was finally in the right place at the right time.
Just driving down Willy St. past TBBQJ I caught that first delicious whiff of wood smoke wafting through the air. By the time I found parking and walked into the very cool building I was extremely excited for lunch! The menu is pretty straightforward, which makes ordering simple, but I would like to see a few more options that should be relatively easy to offer. There’s not really a ‘combo platter’ or anything like that which makes it easy to sample the breadth of the menu. That being said, I like having the option to order a single rib or chicken wing; that’s something cool I haven’t seen before. The space is larger than I expected and it was easy enough to find seating between the two connected dining rooms. The utensils and condiments are all laid out conveniently, which is also really nice. I ordered a sliced brisket sandwich, a single rib, a single chicken wing, and a small order of ranch beans along with an unsweetened iced tea. I grabbed a seat and waited a short time for the meal to be brought out to me. So far, everything was great!
Unfortunately the food I had was on the disappointing side. The single spare rib was dry rubbed and somewhat bland. I like the idea of dry rubbing BBQ and allowing people to add sauce as needed/​wanted but to make that model work the dry rub needs to accentuate the taste of the meat. This rub failed to do so effectively. On top of that the rib was a little on the underdone side, leading to some toughness and dryness. The smoke flavor of the rib was nice, but it was under seasoned and otherwise less than spectacular. I did appreciate that the membrane had been removed from the backside of the rib. The single chicken wing was somewhat similar to the single rib, well smoked but under seasoned and dry rubbed without sauce. The texture was much better on the wing than the rib with a nice chew and no rubberiness; big win there! Both of these items benefited significantly from the addition of the house BBQ sauce, which was surprisingly quite a bit better than the spicy house BBQ sauce. The ranch beans were probably the highlight of the meal with a great mouth feel and flavor. I especially loved the pulled pork cooked into the beans. Delicious!
The low point of the meal was the paper thin brisket on the sandwich. Slicing brisket this way does yield exceptionally tender ribbons of beef, but it also leads to an incredibly dry product. A good amount of sliced brisket was served on a nice roll with a couple big crisp slices of pickle, but the overwhelming sensation was of sahara-​like dryness. Of course the sandwich was begging for sauce, but that should never be the case for really great BBQ. There’s no way I’d order this sandwich again, and I really wish I’d tried pretty much anything else on the menu instead. There did seem to be some interesting options coming out around me, but they were all very non-​traditional. There’s nothing wrong with non-​traditional in general but it’s not what I’m looking for from a BBQ joint.
I’d be willing to give TBBQJ another shot, but I would undoubtedly change up my order in a MAJOR way. Overall I was disappointed in this particular visit, but remain optimistic that there’s potential here for a much better experience. Plenty of potential here, but the execution on what I had today was unfortunately lacking.

Our search for good BBQ in the Madison area continues. For those with a nav system in their car, please note that they seem to have moved to a new location on Williamson in the past year?
While there was nothing compelling about the food we enjoyed our meal. Wife had the ribs. I had the brisket but was disappointed that it is only offered as a sandwich or by the pound as carry out. She wasn’t too interested in her sides. I ordered the hush puppies. We both enjoyed the banana pudding.
The downside was the relatively long wait for our food and as closing time neared their available menu items diminished significantly.

The pulled pork sandwich was fantastic, and with the barbecue sauce on the side (available at a counter in the next room), I didn’t feel confined by someone else’s definition of «drowned in barbecue sauce.» (Their sauce is excellent btw.) Additionally, their sweet potato fries are bomb dot com. So crispy! Comfort/​summer food at its finest.
I need a nap now.

So I’m an Okie far from Muskogee, and finding (good) BBQ in Wisco is like looking for the Holy Grail. I’d heard about TBBQJ, but everytime I’m near, I can’t smell the smoke. So I never really trusted it. Today I gave in and decided to add another conquest to the BBQ list. I haven’t found the Grail yet, but TBBQJ is «good enuf» for my fix.
They lean more to the Memphis style BBQ. I’m not sure why people here are getting the sandwiches… GET THE PORK RIBS! And the CHICKEN. You are missing out.
Pork Ribs — I got the 3 bone (which was 3.5!). Meat was: moist, tender, heavily seasoned with salt and sugar, great smoke ring, with medium-​heavy smoke flavor. They use hickory logs and the inside of this place was wafting with a nice smoke smell. (You WILL smell like BBQ after eating here!) I was pleasantly surprised by the whole rib experience. They use a basic sugar + salt «dry» rub, but they let it reduce to a «moist» quality (check pic). I could feel sugar crystals bursting between my teeth! And then they combat it with a heavy dose of salt/​seasoning. The third ingredient, and where other Madison joints are failing, is they know how to layer-​in their smoke flavor. And they know when to take it off the fire to keep a nice smoke ring and external crunchy bite. The fat in these ribs is liquified into a nice addition (instead of greasy distraction like other more dry ribs). To the basic eater, ribs are just ribs. But these guys know there are many moving parts and they handled it well on the day I was there. ⁴⁄₅
Chicken — same thing. It’s rare to find a place that knows the difference between a tough meat rib and a tender meat on the bone. TBBQJ does AND treats BOTH with respect; for that, I respect them. Meat was heavy seasoned + heavy smoke, but remained juicy and hot. SECOND place for Chicken on BBQ list. 4.5÷5
Okra — Oh finally. I miss me some okra. Even though it’s not made from scratch, they still fry it good, and I haven’t found anyone else near here that knows how to do it.5/5
Creamy Slaw — was actually dry. I would have liked a little more mayo to make it «wet» and/​or «creamy.» But it was still a nice palate cleanser. ³⁄₅
Collard Greens — a-​ok. Not the best; not the worst. Surprised they didn’t add ham, nor any meat, but that’s nice for the vegetarians. Noticed a little vinegar and a hint of Louisiana/​Franks/​Crystal sauce. ³⁄₅
Sauces — I judge a BBQ based on the flavor of their meat WITHOUT sauce. If you HAVE to sauce it, I don’t trust you as a pitmaster. BUT their sauces were good. They have 3: 2 tomato based (one hickory/​sweet/​tangy + one spicy: allspice + chili? + habanero?) and one mustard-​vinegar based. I had eaten all my ribs, so I tried these with my okra. They were each a fun little different thing.
Overall, these pitmasters are still fresh and know what they are doing. I appreciated the «dry» rub and Memphis style simple flavors. I would prefer a little less salt, but generally, I like ‘em. ⁴⁄₅

For the chicken salad sandwich and sauces, particularly the mustard BBQ, I give 5 stars. Overall, their BBQ (brisket, pork and chicken) is the best Madison has to offer in my opinion. The sides aren’t anything to win me over but I do love the seasonal bean salad.

This is a fantastic place for quick, local, tasty barbecue. Every item on the menu is prepared exactly how I would prepare it.

Per Corey D’s recommendation, I tried the smoked wings. The wings have a nice slightly crisped skin and you can use the BBQ sauce bottles to flavor if so desired. It is also entirely possible to enjoy the wings without sauce. The brisket chili is pretty good, although nto entirely remarkable. Same with the fries – I wish they were fresh instead of from frozen. Surprisingly, there is a vegetarian sandwich available, rare in a BBQ joint!
There have been some odd mishaps here – on two occasions in the old location they didn’t tell me they were out of an item until after I ordered, although they added more food to make up for it.
If you want ribs, call ahead – my understanding is that they frequently sell out!

Love the pulled pork sandwich– its my fav! Great BBQ, sauce, sides, and bottled beer options! I recommend trying it out if your in town!:)

Alright, so I was a little hesitant to try this place based on some of the reviews. But! I’m so glad I did.
First off, the fries were fine. Golden brown, clearly frozen from a bag but they are cooked well. I like french fries, so I was happy. I get to dip them in a variety of BBQ sauces which is ideal.
I’ve had rib tips and regular ribs there. They have a good regular BBQ sauce and a nice mustard. Hot BBQ sauce is good but a bit vinegary for my tastes. Consistent food, employees are super nice. Ribs have that nice pink smoked ring. Not the best BBQ I’ve ever had but it certainly holds it’s own in this town. A big improvement from what was in this location previously. Would highly recommend!

Easily one of my favorite places in Madison — the most authentic barbecue I’ve had in the Midwest, coupled with a friendly and welcoming staff, keeps me coming back on an almost weekly basis. It feels like a down-​south barbecue joint run by a woman named Doris and her four grandkids. It doesn’t need any frills because the food speaks for itself, and it feels remarkably endearing when you take a seat and open a beer.

The sandwich was incredible and the brisket chili pretty good. We were on the early side and they were already out of ribs and the dining room was freezing. So I’ll definitely go back and try them again and could easily see upping my review to 5 stars. This place has promise.

That BBQ Joint is by far the best BBQ in Madison. Smoky Jon’s is comparable, but no one can beat That BBQ Joint in service and deliciousness. Everyone who works there (it seems to be a small staff) is incredibly friendly and dedicated to serving delicious BBQ. I’ve never had a bad experience, and I’ve tried a range of items on their menu. The half chicken is delicious, the pulled pork is out of this world, and so is the brisket! Their ribs are insanely good as well. All of their sauces are amazing and made from scratch, so that’s pretty fantastic as well. So much love for this place.

I really enjoyed the fried chicken I had today, but be warned that it’s a Saturday-​only item. The barbecue was like a lot of what I’ve encountered around here in that the smoke flavor’s pretty light, but that’s not unexpected considering there’s no real tradition in this part of the country and barbecue’s value seems to be tied more closely to sauce than smoke. And barbecue restaurants gotta sell what people will eat in order to stay in business, so take that for what it’s worth.
Regarding an earlier review, rib tips don’t usually come from «cows» unless they’re specifically described as beef (and at TBJ they’re not). They come from pigs. And most beef comes from steers, as cows provide a greater return on investment by living longer and often wind up as hamburger when their days are done. ;^)

I ended up at That BBQ Joint (TBJ) by happenstance after my efforts to visit the newly opened A-​OK Coffee location on East Washington Avenue were foiled by my inability to find a parking space. But my luck was not all bad that day as both the food and service at TBJ exceeded my expectations.
There is a definite black and white theme to the restaurant interior. The interior walls have a fresh coat of institutional white paint, with black trim around the doors and windows. The menus are written on whiteboards with black ink and the food comes on a black & white checkerboard patterned paper liner. The large front windows allow for waves of natural light to stream into the interior and allow diners keep tabs on the action taking place on Willy Street. While the building has seen better days, the new occupants have cleaned it up nicely.
Since TBJ does not have waiter service, I had limited interaction with the staff. Nonetheless, all the staff members I interacted with were courteous, polite and helpful. As a first time visitor, my order taker offered helpful suggestions when I mentioned I was visiting for the first time. He also checked in to see what I thought of my sandwich which doesn’t always happen at counter service restaurants. Throughout my time at TBJ, this employee was constantly tidying out the dining area and checking the condiment supply levels when there was a break in the somewhat steady flow of lunch time customers.
I elected to go with the Thursday special, the TBJ Cubano sandwich (pulled pork, ham, mustard, pickles and a pressed, well-​buttered French roll). Mad props to the kitchen for their fantastic griddle work on the French roll as every bite yielded a satisfying crunch. The pulled pork component provided plenty of porky deliciousness. The Achilles heel of the sandwich was the ocean of generic yellow mustard slathered onto the sandwich. With a little better balance, this could be a top echelon sandwich in town with an amazing stable of sandwich offerings.
Bonus content: TBJ sells bottles of their sauce for $ 8.
After this positive first impression, a return visit to TBJ is certainly in my future. The wonderful aroma of smoked meats wafting through the restaurant during my first visit has me eager to try there more traditional BBQ offerings of smoked brisket, ribs, pulled pork and smoked chicken.

In my quest to find a great barbeque spot in Madison I stumbled across That BBQ Joint. It looked like a potentially small gem and is in a good neighborhood for food so I decided to try lunch there. As a longtime Madison resident I’ve been disappointed over the lack of solid BBQ options, and was hoping this place would fill the void.
Greetings were warm and prompt when I arrived, and my order was brought out in a reasonable amount of time. everything is fairly do-​it-​yourself, with menus on the side wall along with napkins, silverware, sauces, etc. All the food is reasonably priced at $ 7 – 10 for the average item. I had read some Unilocal reviews prior so I knew to stay away from the fries. I tried an Italian Beef Brisket sandwich (whatever that means as it looked like regular Italian Beef to me) with hot peppers and a side of Beef Brisket Chili.
The food looked pretty straight forward, nothing too salivating but I let my taste buds do the talking. The result? OK, not exceptional. I think I agree with most here that I just wasn’t wow’d by the taste, a bit too bland, especially the sauces, and the chili was just hot but not actually too flavorful.
I’d like to consider trying them again, because usually I’d get something more BBQ-​esque like Pulled Pork or Ribs. I went against the grain this time around though since other reviewers had mentioned the cornerstone items being dry and I wanted to first sample what did get some positive reviews (and looked tasty in the pictures).
I really wanted this to be the piece that completed Madison’s BBQ puzzle, but it just doesn’t seem like it is. Maybe your mileage will vary. Until next time.. .

The only dings I give this AMAZING place, is that they are closed on Monday and Tuesday, and they too often run out of brisket late in the week (with reason: It’s *that* good… hence the line out the door, sometimes).
Other than that, I can safely say That BBQ Joint is bar-​none not only my favorite BBQ… but also my favorite place to eat in Madison. My go-​to sandwich is the Italian beef (hint: get the mild peppers, unless you want to *really* sweat it out). But if they offer the pork tacos, you gotta try ‘em! Even the friday fish fry was fantastic! The sides are all gorgeous, but I have a special place in my heart for their sweet potato fries.
A very welcome addition to the neighborhood! (Now, please… make *more* brisket, dammit… Willy Street is HUNGRY!)

The food was not great. Chicken salad was good. Quality meat and flavor was good. Liked that it had cranberry and walnuts. The fries were absolutely terrible. Cold and white looking. Mac and cheese ball had no flavor. Coleslaw had a fishy taste. They have four main entrees and were out of one, chicken. Ribs were meaty but salty. Baked beans were good. Very disappointed since it is on Willy St and there is such high quality, local food all around it.

I’ve been meaning to check this place out for a while and finally had the chance tonight. It wasn’t bad, but I left feeling slightly disappointed:
PROS:
+ The seating area is small and no frills, but it was clean and comfortable.
+ My pulled pork sandwich was large and filling. The price (around 8 bucks) seemed reasonable.
+ The bun that the sandwich was served on was PERFECT. It was fresh, tasty, and stood up to the sauce without breaking apart.
+ There are self-​serve dispensers with three decent, but not knock your socks off good, sauces. It would be nice, though, if they could place smaller bottles on the tables
CONS
— It took WAY longer than I expected to get my order.
— The pulled pork itself was rather dry and lacking in flavor. I needed to douse it in sauce to get anything out of it.
— The sandwich didn’t come with fries, so I ordered a side. Big mistake. They were fresh and plentiful, but completely lacking in any flavor whatsoever.
— The selection of sides is limited. They have a fried mac and cheese ball on their menu, but no Mac and cheese. I take that to mean that the ball is frozen.
–Their hours suck. They close at 8 PM, even on the weekend.

My pulled pork sammach and potato salad was good. The fries on the other hand were extremely disappointing. Both the color and the flavor. Didn’t care for the «still not cooked» look.

We really wanted to like this place because we’re desperate for good BBQ (transplants from the South and Kansas City). Unfortunately this won’t be a keeper for us. The beef brisket sandwich was generous in proportion, but relatively flavorless. Hubby asked for his with no pickle but it still came with pickle. The ribs were meaty, but again — barbecue is all about the smoked meat, not sauces. There wasn’t much complexity of flavor. The fries were, frankly, terrible. They were hot and there were lots of them, but were the color and texture of a raw potato. The sauces were ok, but the dispenser bottles are awful — if they have to warn you about squeezing them, then there’s a serious design problem there. Hubby had one in his hand, not even squeezing it, and it erupted all over the table, nearly hitting the table next to us.
The potato salad, on the other hand, was delicious.
We wish them well but won’t be back.

I have yet to be disappointed. I tried the fish fry tonight, which was catfish and I loved it. French fries. Hush puppies, creamy coleslaw, and two pieces of fish for 13 bucks?! Sweet! I had the rib sandwich for lunch as well, amazing and way too much food for lunch. Tonight I noticed a TV, and asked about football, the girl was not sure but said if we asked they would probably turn on a game. Pretty nice. I have to say, I only order carry out because I live nearby so I don’t have much to say about atmosphere, but employees are nice

I always appreciate a good bbq place on the east side so I’m giving this place 4 stars. But, maybe 3.5 is more appropriate. I like the location. I like the décor. And I like the people that work there. The amount of food for the price was appreciated but I have a few issues.
First, the hot bbq sauce was adequately spicy but has way too much cinnamon or cardamom in it. They should definitely dial that back a bit, or a lot.
Second, the rib tips are cut too short and it seems like they are cut from some pretty lean cows because there is very little fat on them. I’m not sure if this is a cost or preference issue but as a lover of rib tips, these just don’t make the cut. I will continue ordering them because they give a decent amount, but if you’re looking for meaty, fatty, delicious rib tips… these will not suffice.
Finally, if you’re not cooking your collard greens in ham hock and smothering them in vinegar pepper sauce… I really don’t see the point. Multiple places in madison serve collard greens as a vegetarian option, and as a southerner I find this to be sacrilegious. It seems the demands of the vegetarians have ruined this southern specialty and it’s a damn shame. Let them have their slaw and potato salad… but don’t take the ham out of the greens. Also, I was assured by one of the employees that the pepper vinegar sauce had been lost or spoiled in the move, so I can’t speak to whether it is there now. But he assured me it would be in the future.
Not «that bbq joint» quite yet…

New location, same top quality. Finally made it in to the new place; had an Italian Beef with greens and baked beans, plus an order of fried okra. The Italian Beef is a slight variation on the Chicago standard – it’s sliced brisket rather than shredded, stewed meat, but the flavors are amazing. I go back and forth between the hot and mild giard. Beans were good, mixed with little chunks of meat, collards were very lemony, which is slightly different than before, but no complaints from me.
The okra was amazing. Quickly deep-​fried with a light cornmeal batter, tons of okra taste and even a little slime in the seeds (for the uninitiated, this is a very good thing).
One of my favorite places for a serious meal. It’s a block from the bike path, so it’s easy to pig out on BBQ and then go burn it off.

New location is great! Doesn’t hurt it is only a block from my house too :)
Of course they are gonna run out of some stuff on a Saturday, they just re-​opened. Can’t hold that against them at all, instead should be happy for their success! At least that’s the way I look at it.
To the food: love their wings. Recently tried the Italian beef and it’s everything you could ever want in an Italian beef sandwich. Moist, flavorful and delicious. Au jous makes it.
Sides I always go with creamy slaw, baked beans or brisket chili but don’t think you can go wrong.
Can’t wait to keep trying things. Yay to BBQ!