This location has been closed and relocated to Webster Street in Alameda, less than a mile away.
David c.
Place rating: 1 Brea, CA
I wish I could give this Everett and Jones a good review but it is impossible. The workers who work there are the most unprofessional I’ve ever encountered. I love their ribs and beef(which they seem to run out of on a consistent basis) and they do not start to make your food until after you get there even when you call in to order. Also, whenever you walk in the door they roll their eyes like they can’t believe you are disturbing them. By far the worst service I’ve ever encountered which is sad because I really like the food there. I have had to bet friends in games to see who had to pick it up because no one wanted to have to walk through those doors.
Nicole L.
Place rating: 4 Brooklyn, NY
Tasty, tasty BBQ, and it feels like you’re eating at somebody’s auntie’s house instead of a restaurant. Ample sauce(hot was pretty spicy), good quality meat, tons of parking, and really awesome, fast, and friendly service. I’d go back.
Wheatberry s.
Place rating: 4 Palo Alto, CA
Tasty soul food. Rarely do I eat soul food(the ribs and other bbq meats were authentic enough as I bit into clobbers of fat) but this was an occasion I don’t regret. The regular and spicy bbq sauces were fabulous… mmmmm very good! I think E & J’s has another location but this particular shop was on the cleaner side for a hole-in-the-wall place. I kept thinking this joint must’ve been an old hotdog/hamburger shop as all the décor and walls were painted in a red/mustard yellow combo. Pretty much got to sample everything on the menu. If you’re a newbie like me, order«the hook up»: ribs, beef links, sliced beef, roast pork, chicken(all meats are wonderfully covered in bbq sauce). As for sides, order them all as well: baked beans, collard greens, potato salad, candied yams, coleslaw and cornbread. Yes, the pigger that day enjoyed her soul food.
Mark B.
Place rating: 2 Alameda, CA
I just don’t get the big deal about E&J. The meat is not that good. It’s frequently over cooked. The mild sauce is only OK. The medium and hot sauce are pretty good though. The sides are nothing to write home about, the dessert is average at best. More than anything though, it’s not a good«restaurant.» They are frequently out of items, it’s not always clean, and quality control is terrible. Sometimes it’s good food, sometimes it’s terrible. You want good BBQ go to Bo’s in Lafayette. The atmosphere is not as good, but the BBQ is far superior.
Kenneth R.
Place rating: 4 Berkeley, CA
My lunch was a small roasted pork plate with medium sauce. The medium sauce was mild, but the small plate was pretty big! I liked the pork, the sauce, the corn bread and the yams. The place seemed clean to me(I ordered«for here») and service was delivered pretty promptly and with a smile. Nothing not to like, really. If you have business in the area(like a tasting at Hangar One), you should definitely stop in.
Amy O.
Place rating: 4 San Francisco, CA
This is a small hole-in-the-wall in a old strip center by the navy base in Alameda. The meat and the friendliness was superb. There is nothing fancy about this place. If you are accustomed to California hole-in-the-wall taquerias, think that, but good ol’ BBQ. We arrived at 12:45pm, and they asked us not to order beef(did they not have any?). That’s fine, pork is good. But, I ordered a plate, and got a sandwich. No biggie. I just ate the pork out of the sandwich… and it was so tender and tastey. And I am not a BBQ sauce fan, and this BBQ that was on the side was mmmmm… tastey! Ordered collard greens on the side — yum! So don’t expect fancy. The tables are just throw in randomly, and actually I had to clear a table myself so we could sit down. Super friendly staff, it’s just what it is. Simple, friendly, and good.
Plot t.
Place rating: 1 CA, CA
Thought I’d give them a chance, see what’s changed… Change: lightswitches have been smacked with a wet rag. However, rag missed the black corners where people bump up, the schmutz on the floor, hideous gray gunk in the corner tiles, and the general«aw ____it» attitude towards everything. *shudder* Not changed: absolutely atrocious servcie. Don’t bother calling in your order, they’ll wait till you arrive to actually put it together. And DO check your order, they will invariably make a mistake. Apparently, «Sauce on the side» means«no sauce»? Staff is living in a different time zone, where it takes twenty minutes(no really!) to carve up some meat, slap it sloppily into a clamshell, glop in some sweet taters, and take my money. AARRGGHHHH! Changed: cornbread you could scrub pieplates with. Really. *ptooie* And, folks? Leaving the back door open so that flies have a rollerderby on the uncleaned prep table is NOT appetizing. Never again.
Kathleen W.
Place rating: 3 Albany, CA
Had to make some illegal turns to get here … considering it’s in Alameda, you can see that I like to live dangerously. Service was super friendly, not only from the staff but also from the other patrons. I ordered a large baby back rib, chicken and beef to feed a group of 7. E&J alone wouldn’t have been enough, but we had other food coming. Medium spicy across the board — real medium spicy that leaves a burn in your mouth. The chicken was dry, the beef was pretty tasty, but it’s the baby back ribs that makes this place famous. Skip the corn on the cob as a side and load up on the yams.
Aaron H.
Place rating: 3 San Leandro, CA
great place to go from some home style bbq. In Jack London Square. Love the bbq there, don’t go anywhere else except for Doug’s, but they are close now… good portions and leaves you with a full stomach
Greg R.
Place rating: 3 Clayton, NC
I’d like to give it 3.5 stars, as it is good. Not great, but good. I find their sauce a little sweet, but good. The corn is way over cooked, so skip it as a side if you get the chance. The meats are good to great. What made this less than a 4 star is I ordered the platter with like all the different meats on it(food enough for four or more) to share with the family, but the sides were skimpy as all get out. If I am ordered a mess of ribs and brisket to feed four people, how does it make sense to give me a single scoop of cole slaw? I’ve been to Memphis, home of the best damn bar-b-que in the world, and they’d be run out of town for doing this!
Bryan l.
Place rating: 5 Alameda, CA
Brisket and Ribs, Greens and Baked Beans… and HOT sauce, can’t forget the hot sauce ;) When you think of a BBQ joint, this is what you’re thinking of. A hole-in-the-wall in a mini strip mall… well, not even a strip mall, but hey, there’s parking! E&J has several locations across the East Bay and I don’t really think one is better than the other, but this one in Alameda is always stacked when it comes to sides(and it’s only a few blocks from me!). I lived for a year in Texas, and let me tell you, E&J can hang with the best of them, but don’t take my word for it. Everett and Jones has gotten the Presidential seal of approval, just ask good ol’ Billy Clinton(check out the pic of him on his last Bay Area visit). If it’s good enough for Bubba Clint, it should be good enough for you!
Camille K.
Place rating: 4 Alameda, CA
I visited Everett and Jones on an early Sunday evening. The restaurant looked clean and the service was swift. There were many, many eager patrons. I ordered a small rib plate with collard greens, yams and cornbread to go. The yams were amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed the ribs and the greens. I did not enjoy the sour cream pound cake. It tasted very dry. Updated to add: The red velvet cake is excellent, if you can get it. I would strongly consider hiring The Son’s if ever I needed to host any reception.
Andrew Y.
Place rating: 3 Alameda, CA
This E&J is pretty good. The meat tasted good, the sauce was not too heavy. They were out of beef, but that’s always a good sign. Anyway, the downside. The service was pretty slow and not that good. One guy was on it, the other guy was spaced out. I was also sad to find out that Mama Everett died in early October.
Will A.
Place rating: 4 Madison, WI
Relatively same food as the other places, the service was erratic(I almost wonder if I came the first day they opened up). I think this place will get up to speed, but I do wonder if they have the same cooking area as Jack London or Berkeley. Love that I only have to drive a few miles. I’m hoping the location breeds success… it is sort on that lonely corner of Atlanta & Main.
Rana A.
Place rating: 3 San Francisco, CA
So after many Unilocalers raved about E &J’s I had to check it out. They definitely get stars for their service. They were very personable on the phone as well as in person. The food however was good, but nothing fantastic. The beef ribs were a little too tough to chew and the chicken and brisket were slightly dry. The beef sausages didn’t have any sort of a kick, while the pulled pork was mighty tasty. The BBQ sauce really does have quite the kick. We ordered medium and we were all sniffling as we ate. Haven’t had collard greens in a while, those were really yummy! So were the yams, sweet and creamy in texture. I ordered the«Hook Up» and a small order of ribs for 4 girls. We had plenty of left overs. We’re almost thinking we could’ve done without the 2nd helping of ribs. All in all a great BBQ place to grab things to go while on the Island of Alameda.
B. r.
Place rating: 4 Oakland, CA
I’m glad I finally got off my butt to try this location. I have only been once so far, but will be back. Brisket and roast pork were yumm yumm. Even my cats liked them both, and one of them never likes my food! Fast service, friendly, and you pretty much know what you are getting, although it seems they may still be working on getting their techniques down pat at this one.
Eric B.
Place rating: 4 Pleasant Hill, CA
After the long waits and indifferent staff attitude at the E&J at Jack London Square, I wandered in on my way back from the Bladium(after dropping my son off at a birthday party) with modest expectations. But afterall, I was hungry. Plus the fast food on Webster Avenue wasn’t very appealing and I didn’t have enough time to hang out at the New Zealander. The facilities are a little plain and small, but that should never get in the way of great BBQ. I felt comfortable and was even welcomed by some local business types who were enjoying their working lunch. Their E&J advice regarding Jack London Square was to get there at 3 or 4 in the afternoon for dinner! I ordered a sliced beef sandwich(with medium strength sauce), potato salad, and a diet coke. It doesn’t get much better than this(except for maybe wanting a nice cold beer or even lemonade with all this). I also thought that the the staff was very friendly and interested in how the food was(delicious). I’d love to come back for a more complete tour through the menu.
Lane H.
Place rating: 4 Los Angeles, CA
The location is out of the way, but I enjoyed driving over there to eat… no problems parking or anything because there’s pretty much nothing else there. They’ve got maybe 6 or so tables and we sat there and ate our meal. I had ribs and 2 sides and it was really good, and the only thing I didn’t enjoy about my meal were my sides, as I had yams and beans and with the BBQ sauce on the ribs, it was too much sugar! They have greens, corn, yams, beans and potato salad… I should have had the greens. Also, the yams appeared to be out of a can, and that always bugs me when I go to a restaurant and they use canned or frozen pre prepped food. The cornbread was good. Also, they need to supply some wipes or something, because the bathroom is way out back and you have to go outside and around to access it to wash your hands. I have eaten at the Everett and Jones on Fruitvale(didn’t like that at all) and the one in Jack London, which was fine. This was fine as well and I will definitely return. They could also use a liquor license… I would have enjoyed a cold beer with my ribs rather than a soda. They had one long table that could accommodate a small group.
Matthew r.
Place rating: 3 San Francisco, CA
E&J has opened a new resturant on the west end of Alameda, across the street from the base. The location would normally be terrible for a resturant, but E&Js reputation is such that people will drive a little. I’ve been back here a few times now, and it seems a little different each time, but maybe it’s just me. The sauce is always fantastic, sweet and spicy and smoky all a the same time(they sell bottles of it.) The barbeque itself generally good, though the chicken was a little dry last time. The sides are ok but nothing outstanding. There isn’t a whole lot of seating there; It appears to be geared towards takeout. They’re fast too. My coworkers believe that this location is a little better than E&Js other locations, but I can’t comment on the others firsthand.