Fat Face Bar-B-Que

I’ve eaten at all the BBQ places DMV has to offer and Fat Face is by far the best for the money. The people at the counter were courteous and efficient an the BBQ was delicious and inexpensive. While some may be wary of driving across the river to Anacostia, it’s soulful places like this that make the East River area worth the trip.

I agree. I had the minced meat chicken sandwich, tasted old with new sauce, if that makes sense. That and a large tea came to a whopping eleven bucks. Safe to say I can find better elsewhere.

Food is out of this world but the prices are too high for the location of this restaurant.

The minced bbq was tainted the bun was over steamed the prices were high and the portions was low, the service was the worst. The cashier was very rude! Go to johnny boys they are much better at a cheaper price! And there meat is not sour as if it set out all day and night! I’m getting sick thinking about it. Please stay away

I have finally gone to this actual location. They have the best soul food sides in DC. Hands down the candied yams and greens could compete with my momma’s. The pulled pork was juicy tangy and excellent. The ribs were just okay. If I want bbq I will call in and pick it up from here.

3.25 stars. My housemate and I spotted this place on separate occasions, raved about its potential, and finally decided to embark on a trip to find this oddly named BBQ restaurant located on the outskirts of the Capitol Heights neighborhood.
I ordered the ribs with two sides (mac/​collard greens). The ribs are spindly, extra long, and have more pull than I would have expected. I didn’t really see a smoky red ring. Fat Face uses a sauce base that is equal parts spicy and sweet. The portion size for the ribs is generous, but it isn’t a great cut. They are worth a trip only if you live relatively close to the neighborhood. Mr. P’s is still the preferred destination for DC ribs.
I thought the collard greens could have used a bit more flavoring, but my housemate was thoroughly impressed. She especially loved the use of ham hock to flavor the greens. I was more impressed with Fat Face’s rendition of mac-​n-​cheese. This particular preparation was heavy on cheddar, but it made for a nice, satisfying base that perfectly complemented the ribs.
If you have a BBQ craving and you are close to this place, it very well might satisfy your stomach. Recommended for people who live in Southeast DC.

Disappointing ribs.
I read a strongly positive review of this place on a local barbecue blog and went to go check it out.
Fat Face is in a dodgy neighborhood, and you order through bullet-​proof glass. There’s no place to sit — entirely geared to take-​out (which is cool with me).
I ordered the ribs dry, and while the ribs came out un-​sauced, they were coated in something sweet that must have been mopped-​on during the cooking. The ribs had the vague taste of those nasty little reddish-​purple barbecue spare-​ribs you can get at any Chinese restaurants.
I detected almost no hint of smoke on the meat. There was no bark. The meat was bland and overpowered by that sticky-​sweet flavor described earlier.
The texture was uniform. A wide range of textures are acceptable (even desirable) on dry ribs — from ends that are tough like jerky, to a center where the meat pulls apart with the slightest pressure. That’s all good. These ribs were uniformly, unpleasantly tough.
Side note: the menu explained that they fry their chicken because smoked chicken gives the appearance of being undercooked. For this reason they also fry their chicken wings.
Really?
Smoked chicken wings DO NOT give the appearance of being undercooked — ask Andy Nelson or KBQ. Many places also smoke entire chickens, and don’t seem to have any trouble selling the meat. Strange.

The smell of smoke is the first thing you notice when you walk into this take out only joint on East Cap. Food came out quickly, but the brisket was pre-​sliced and reheated on the griddle, which I do not condone. The brisket itself was too fatty, which in my mind means that it wasn’t cooked long enough to render off enough of the fat. Mac and cheese was also reheated and oily. Collard greens were just standard; nothing to write home about. The stars of the menu, however, were the ribs and the Carolina chopped pork sandwich. Both can be ordered with sauce on the side. The half rack of ribs was huge and easily enough for two and comes with four slices of bread. Not the best Q I’ve ever had, but it sure hit the spot.

On the Ninth Day of December in the Year of our Lord two thousand and eight, the Unilocal gods created a Review of the Day for Patrick H.‘s Dixie Bones review. Su K. saw it, and it was good. So good in fact, it sent him on a quest to find good BBQ near him. Our hero searched not too far, nor too wide, for he doesn’t have a very long lunch break, and he found several near him. Our hero came to a fork in the road: go to several that have received lackluster Unilocal reviews, such as Kenny’s Smokehouse? Or head to a place that hasn’t been Unilocaled, that has an average website, and not been reviewed by anyone? «Hmmmm,» our hero mused, «At least if this place sucks, I can still get an FTR.» His decision was made and he headed East in his noble steed – the Soccermom Express – to Fat Face Bar-​B-​Que. And lo, it was pretty good.
Food — the first thing one will realize when stepping into this carry-​out only barbecue establishment is the smell of smoke and chitterlings. Growing up in PG County, this took me back to the days of my youth, but for others, you might not enjoy being in here too long. Thankfully, the food is prepared expeditiously.
As stated in previous reviews, people often have checklists for potential mates. I have a checklist for potential meats. Here it is:
1) Meat must look good — First impressions are important. Dress to impress.
2) Meat must titillate the lips — it’s a gentle touch as the meat moves from the plate into my mouth, but that caress is important
3) Meat must be delicious — God created all the wild animals and He saw that it was good.
4) Meat must be tender — Love me tender, love me sweet. I should never want to let you go.
5) Like a really good date causes you to consider the next date even before the current one is done, meat should leave you wanting another bite before the current one is over
Fat Face:
1) + 1 looks good! And smells even better. The brisket smelled heavenly and had an amazing smoke ring!
2) + 1 the first touch was soft, yet firm. I like.
3) + 0 the brisket was salty but the ribs were tasty
4) — 1 but the meat is rather dry, especially the brisket.
5) + 0
So the meat was good and satisfied my cravings for BBQ, but being a 1 point overall, it’s not amazing. The brisket sandwich is $ 8.39, minced BBQ sandwich is $ 5.25, and a slab of ribs is $ 21 ($ 13 for ½), For a ½ slab and brisket, I paid $ 24 including 10% DC tax. And while the meat around the main bone is fall-​off-​the-​bone tender, the rest of the meat will require you to gnaw, which I consider a good thing. Make sure you have access to floss after the meal.
Platters (served w/​2 sides) are $ 11 for ribs, $ 9 for smoked chicken, and $ 14 for chicken and ribs.
I didn’t bother trying any sides ($ 2 for a small, $ 4.50 for a large), seeing as how I just spent $ 24 on meat alone. They also provide bread service in the form of 2 slices of white bread, which is normally a great thing if the sauces are excellent but…
Sauce — they only have mild BBQ sauce, which is usually a deal breaker for me. The sauce is decent and tastes like a modified version of Kraft. Still, it worked very well with the meat. They do have a hot sauce available as well, but I it’s similar to Texas Pete/Frank’s Red Hot, which means it’s not very hot at all.
Location — less than a mile from the Benning Rd Metro stop. Tiny interior and carry-​out only. They were completing several catering orders while I was waiting for my food. Bullet proof glass separates you from them, which makes it slightly difficult to communicate. It looks like they punched out several holes above the cash register to help in this regard.
Service — The meats are all smoked, which I approve of, and grilled for a bit before serving. The food took about 5 – 10 minutes and the service is pretty friendly.
Good BBQ if you’re near RFK Stadium, but not something I would consider going out of the way for. If your idea of a great meal is chitlin’s and ribs, however, this place is an excellent choice.
Final Note: they open at 10am everyday, so you can have BBQ for breakfast! Mmmmmm!