LJ’s BBQ

Look, barbecue is not our thing in the Northeast. We don’t get it, don’t do it well, but we crave it. This alone should explain why this place has decent reviews.
We went here on a weeknight and had combo platters. Very over priced, flaccid, fatty and small portions. I live close but three strikes and your out with this place. They aren’t even trying, but because people crave barbecue there will always be patrons.
I’d love to offer and alternative, but there just ain’t one. My advice — buy a Weber and get to know your butcher.

LJ’s BBQ’s heaping servings of hot, tender, saucy, flavorful BBQ pulled pork and ribs has my mouth droolin’ and heart racing (both figuratively and literally). Their food is not for the faint of heart or those with a small stomach.
If you are hungry for a hearty meal that will fill you right up without skimping on delicious quality flavor then you’ve got the right place. Their buttery cornbread are a hefty size and their side of mac&cheese is my all time favorite. The service has been very friendly and are helpful in giving recommendations should you ask for it.
I have only been here around lunch time. But I have yet to be let down by the experience. Overall, I’d say that this place is worth a try.

Another great Providence restaurant I am surprised I haven’t reviewed until now. LJ’s is snuck on the end of two great Providence locations in Garden Grille and Wildflour. Most people walk past, which is astounding since LJ’s is one of the few authentic BBQ places in Providence.
Everything BBQ related on the menu is delicious, from staples like pulled pork and brisket to their desserts like sweet potato pie (trust me it is a dessert)
The place itself is fairly large with a long bar and a seating area that could comfortably seat a large party. Service always feels great from the laid back chefs you can hear cooking to the very nice servers.
If you are in the mood for good BBQ, you cannot go wrong with LJ’s.

We’ve been back a couple of times and the kitchen seems inconsistent. We enjoyed our first visit so much because the prices and proportions were good — a $ 4 Bloody Mary in a pint glass– great value, definitely a draw. $ 11 for a plate with heaping helpings of pulled pork, eggs and homefries– of course we’ll come back for that.
Except the last couple of times we’ve gone, the place seems to be going into survival mode, trimming all the niceties and serving barebones amounts. The Mary now seems to come in a tumbler, and I could practically count the strings of pulled pork on the homefries. The wonderous sounding Johnny cake flapjacks with bacon crumbles was nothing more than a big, bland, mealy textured, pale, flabby cornmeal pancake served with fake syrup and 1 slice of bacon shredded up over it. What on earth is that?
The service has been pretty nice to us, but we keep getting let down by the stinginess of the servings and the disappointment of the actual dishes. I want to keep trying but it might be out of willfully oblivious faith.

Took the family after seeing them on Phantom Gourmet, ordered the #4 sample of all meats, they forgot to give us the pulled pork and the cooks seem pissed off about us asking for it. BBQ flavor had (cinnamon/​nutmeg hints) not my favorite, Also order a chicken sandwich asked for a substitution of fried chicken over grilled chicken, server had to check with the kitchen was an up charge, also was told it was hand battered which it was clearly not. added bacon to the chicken sandwich 2 pieces was a $ 2.50 up charge!!! asked for remoulade sauce on the sandwich $ 1.00 up charge making a $ 9.50 sandwich $ 13.00. The french fries are good, but we received the luke warm. Would not go back. The up charges on every little thing is ridiculous.
The cooks seem more interested in smoking in front of the restaurants than cooking!

This review is for the brunch items and not the smoked meat. Although the beauty of doing brunch at a BBQ joint is that you have the option of having smoked meats for breakfast. Yes please!
We started with some bloody mary’s. They make a «Trailer Park» Bloody Mary which has bourbon instead of vodka and it was delicious. Sweeter than a normal bloody and pretty strong. You can definitely taste the bourbon which is a good thing but it does not overtake the other flavors of the drink. The Trailer Park bloody is garnished with a slim jim which is pretty awesome. I’ve never seen that before and I like it! I also think that they use Clamato here instead of a typical tomato juice or bloody mary mixer which is a huge plus. I always make my bloody’s at home with Clamato so it was nice to see that here too.
We we’re here with a group of 6 and everyone either went with the LJ’s Benedict or The Big Mess. No one was disappointed and we all left satisfied. The pulled pork on the LJ’s benedict was flavorful and not too dry. Pulled pork has a tendency to dry out if cooked too improperly and that wasn’t the case here. The cornbread was the perfect base to house this twist on the breakfast classic and the hollandaise had a kick without being too buttery. I would definitely get this again even though The Big Mess was delicious as well.
Service here was very attentive and friendly however we were one of only 3 tables so that would have been a big problem if they weren’t.
LJ’s is a really cool spot and a great alternative to your typical brunch.

My husband loves bbq so for fathers day I decided we would try a new place other than Wes’s. Sadly there isn’t much to chose around here but thought we would try the top rated.
First the service was good and there beer was cold:)
I tried the chili and it was blah. I make a killer chili and this had no flavor. It was beef in a tomato base with a few beans thats it.
we had the #4 which was a sample of all the meats and added the baby back ribs. Again no flavor. The pulled pork did have a little tang from bbq sauce. The ribs were moist but there was no difference between the baby back and st luis. The brisket was cut so thin that it was dry.
The corn bread was moist.
Over all the meat was cook well but NO flavor. Add some spices and rubs to the meat or at least have some different bbq sauces to lather it with.

The food is all fine. Its not bad its not outstanding its just ok. We often come here when we visit our pals up in Rhode Island so I have been here a few times now. As we are ordering our usually cocktails the waitress keeps saying she is out of things… so we kicked off our saturday brunch with Bloody Mary’s which are usually decent UNTIL the 2^nd round something smelled strange.
It was so clear she used raspberry vodka in our Bloody’s (we all went to college, we know raspberry Smirnoff when we smell it). When a waitress came over we told her 2 of them had rasp vod in it she says AND I quote «well I didn’t make those drinks so you can go over there (points to the bar) and fight with her» We burst out in laughter/​awe/​shock that she just said that.
The original waitress eventually moseyed on over and swapped out our drinks for drinks that were half the size of the first ones. Those who got a 3^rd round got a glass even smaller than the second, almost a shot glass no lie. They were clearly mad at us for politely calling them out.
The experience we had with the staff BLEW MY MIND & makes me never want to go back. Also, because were a group of 7 they already added the gratuity to our check. So basically we tipped her 20% on a $ 170 dollar check to talk to us like we were at the DMV.
So to LJ… Your food is not that awesome, to have staff like that.

Let me start by saying, I grew up in the South and with many of my close relatives living in Texas, I spent much of my life eating authentic Texas smokehouse BBQ. Because of this, I have a huge affinity for smoked meats of all kinds.
Every time I see an LJ’s commercial on TV my mouth starts watering, so when my family came up for a visit, I thought this would be a great place to try. Unfortunately, this place just didn’t quite get the job done for me. Because I love all my animals smoked, I decided to order the #4 «Real Deal» combo so I could have an assortment from the entire barnyard. When my food came out, it was enough to feed two people, but the ¼ chicken and ½ rack of ribs was the majority of the meat. There was a decent serving of pulled pork and a mediocre portion of beef brisket. That said, here’s how it stacked up:
¼ Chicken — If you like smoked chicken, this was pretty good. Mine consisted of a drumstick and thigh, so it was a good sized serving. The chicken was tender and juicy with a nice crusty skin from the smoking process. It did have just a hint of an off flavor, possibly caused by the use of «liquid smoke» or and e-​z light type of charcoal. I don’t know if this place uses either of these, but many places do to help speed the smoking process.
½ Rack St. Louis Style Ribs — The ribs were a bit of a disappointment. The flavor was OK, but they were dry and definitely didn’t fall off the bone like a good smoked rib should. These seemed like they were cooked too hot or too long. My parents also ordered ribs (a ½ rack of St Louis and a ½ rack of smoked) and their experience was the same.
Pulled Pork — This was the star of the show. I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t typically like pulled pork. In the South, everyone wants to serve Carolina style pulled pork. It ends up being dry and bland, even though it practically stews in its own juices. This pulled pork was completely different. You could tell it was smoked and they mix their own BBQ sauce to maintain flavor and moistness. This is the way pulled pork should be and this is why I will come back.
Beef Brisket — I LOVE smoked beef brisket. This is probably one of my favorite meats in the world and that’s why this beef brisket was the biggest disappointment on my plate. First, the portion was tiny. I know beef costs more than chicken and pork, but this was a cruel tease. Portion size aside, the brisket was sliced paper thin (like a roast beef slice) making the beef taste dry and lose its true texture. Next, I was able to see grill marks on the beef, but no visible smoke ring, leading me to believe that it wasn’t smoked long enough. Lastly, the brisket slices were mixed with their same BBQ sauce as the pulled pork. This may sound good, but a good beef brisket should be served naked (and thickly sliced). The BBQ sauce gives me the impression they are trying to cover something up.
All that said, I may come back, but its not high on my list of places to revisit. Maybe next time I’ll try the pulled pork pizza. I love pizza and they have a great pulled pork, so that holds some promise…

Server Liz, you rock my world!

As a discalimer: I’ve never been to any of the big BBQ states, and so I really don’t have a fair basis for comparison as far as «real deal» BBQ joints go. That being said, this place was pretty alright. Out of the handfull of BBQ joints I’ve tried in New England, this is probably one of the better ones.
The meat was decent, although not really melt-​in-​your-​mouth, fall-​off-​the-​bone caliber that I’ve had at other places. Definitely still decent enough. The sides were fantastic, though… which I’m kind of a sucker for, and that’s something a lot of New England BBQ joints just plain don’t deliver on. To me, every BBQ joint should offer at least these 2 sides: mac & cheese and mashed potatoes. LJ’s has both, and they’re good! Oh, and their peach pie, served warm with a scoop of ice cream = AMAZING!!!
Ideally, I’d like to take the meat from Commonwealth BBQ in Wrentham (their meat is great, but their sides are just plain boring) and the sides from LJs… and then I’d have myself the perfect little BBQ meal!
I really need to go on a BBQ road trip and try the real deal, but until then, places like LJ’s will have to do!

A friend suggested this place randomly one day and I had never even heard of it (even though I have eaten at the Indian restaurant right next door!) I said sure I love trying a new place! The food is delicious!!! I got the pulled pork plate with candied yams, baked mac n cheese and cornbread and I was more than pleased. The waitress was super nice and attentive. The prices are more than fair for the amount of food you get (I definitely had leftovers). I would absolutely eat here again.

I’m a fan on the second time around. The first time was not worth mentioning. My love for pulled pork had me giving LJ’s another shot. I’m a customer from the first location near Admiral in Providence. Ahh the good olé days with no fried foods and no alcohol. But things change and they are no longer the simple BBQ joint I loved so much.
We arrived on a mid Sunday afternoon. A slow time for them, only one other party dinning. We grabbed a table by the window and a friendly server came over and greeted us promptly. We ordered the pulled pork nachos and the St. Luis style rib combo with pulled pork & a side of beans. The ribs & pulled pork, finger licking good! The beans were heavy with bbq sauce, not something I cared for. The corn bread is sweat & fluffy. It was a very good lunch and we will be back.

I’ve been walking past LJ’s for the better part of a year, and MAN does it always smell good!!! Now, I haven’t found many places north of the Mason Dixon line that do BBQ well. Ok– yes. But not well. And after going to LJ’s twice now, I can still say that I haven’t.
The food was by no means bad; it was pretty tasty, especially the corn bread. But… we had to ask for BBQ sauce for our brisket, which was incredibly dry. And the collard greens left a lot to be desired. The chicken? That was good! But overall, just… not quite up to what I had hoped.
The service both times was awesome. Super friendly waitresses who were right on top of things as far as refills, timely check ins, and quickly getting «to go» boxes for leftovers and our check.
I’ll keep trying LJ’s, and hoping that some day it will match up to the delicious scents that waft out of there as I walk the pup!

I’ve been to LJ’s for brunch several times, but never dinner. Admittedly, I like the brunch food much better than the BBQ. My friend ordered a brisket sandwich that had a huge glob of fat on it, and the BBQ chicken I had was just OK. Also, I ordered a side salad that resembled something I would get at McDonald’s complete with a packet of dressing.
Granted, it’s almost impossible to find great barbeque above the Mason Dixon, so compared to what it is available in the area, it’s up to par. Their brunch menu is far better, and LJ’s is very accomodating to large groups which is a rarity around here. However, watch your check. They include the tip for parties over 6 and failed to mention that. I always find that a little sneaky.

Grabbed some takeout BBQ for the Pats game this past Sunday. I love BBQ and rate the tastiness of any BBQ by my smile. I like to call it, «Mitch’s Smile-​o-​meter.» I had bourbon wings, pulled pork, ribs, mac and cheese, cole slaw, and cornbread.
I smiled… I smiled some more… I really smiled… and then I jumped for joy (although that was due to the Patriots beating the Broncos). The BBQ was really good! The bourbon wings were tasty and for $ 19 they gave a nice slab of ribs w/​pulled pork and the sides I mentioned above. Everything was delicious and I’d definitely go there again. My wife enjoyed her grilled cheese (she’s getting over a cold so she didn’t want anything crazy) and my brother said the baked beans were some of the best baked beans he’s ever had. What else is there to say?

It is a regional thing, it has to be.
I think those that have such high praises have not really gone to the south and had BBQ. And I am not meaning that as an insult. What I am getting at is that up until three years ago if you would have asked me who made the best Pizza, you might have heard me say Papa Johns. Now I have lived up here for three years I am not sure I will ever that crap again. So the palates have traveled, matured and grown wiser. That is all I am saying.
So my positive commentary, if you are in the area for Breakfast, it is worth stopping in. LJ’s gives you a much different breakfast experience than the NE norm. So if you are looking for something different, this is the place.
As for their BBQ, never again. I was a little dubious when I originally went to a BBQ place in a strip mall and the smell was of freshly cleaned floors with a hint of bleach. So very clean. Not a BBQ place. No smell of slow smoked meats. But, it was early in the morning. Then, there were all of these great reviews from folks I trust. So I decided to go in for dinner. After all it has been a year and a half and I know they must have listened to me … right? And here is what I have to say…
The Good:
1) Corn Bread is fantastic. It was soft and warm. It was not a sweet corn bread like most here in NE, but it has a sweet note at the end. Top notch.
2) Blueberry pie was the best I have had in RI. The only better I have experienced was in Maine.
3) Baked beans and potato salad were really good.
4) That is all I have to say on the matter of good.
The in the middle:
1) The Baby Back ribs. They were dry and needed salt. Now, I do like my ribs dry, but that refers to the finish. The eater will add the sauce, not the cook. My wife likes them wet, which means that the sauce is slopped on before they are served. In this case, they were dry and so was the meat. All of that said, they were still okay. Nothing to tell your friends about though.
The not so good. (Ordered full rack of Baby Back Ribs, and the combo plate with brisket, sausage and pulled pork) Multiple eaters that shared in case you think I ate it all.
1) The most depressing thing I have ever seen. The brisket was not smoked, or even baked (at least not that I could tell). It was grilled. Where I am from, that is pure blasphemy. The equivalent, me telling you catch up is an acceptable sauce for a pizza. Or that Iggy’s is a low rent version of Long John Silvers, or that … oh you get the point. It is truly insulting and to be honest, offensive to BBQ lovers, Texans and friggen cows for that matter.
2) The sausage. It was Italian sausage that was grilled. So why the complaint you ask? Because BBQ sausage will be Beef mainly and some pork. It will be spicy and it will be smoked. I have no equivalent, it is just bad form and people that have never gone south would not no the difference, so it is kind of like pulling the wool over your eyes.
3) Pulled pork. It is not pulled, and not really going to guarantee it was pork. Okay, it was pork. But pulled pork is not chopped up and then drowned in a catch up based BBQ sauce. It is slow smoked and then… pulled from the bone and with your hands and a big fork, ‘PULLED.’ get it? It is then seasoned up and anyone from Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee or Georgia will tell you that is is then seasoned up and finished off with a vinegar or mustard based sauce. These enhance the flavor of pork. Catch-​up base when slopped over something like pulled pork, so heavily is simply to cover up the taste. Meaning, they did not honor the pig.
Lastly, for those that still think I am a little off, they have a wine list. Seriously? Anyway, I think it is really L.J.‘s restaurant. If they drop the BBQ, I would be more inclined to give them a pass. I would not feel obligated to eat the BBQ. I could have had a burger with a glass of wine.
In the end what was left on the plate? 90% of the brisket, ½ the rack of ribs, 95% of the sausage ¹⁄₃ of the pulled pork. So for $ 60.00, this place was a flop.
Aside from breakfast and the above mentioned ‘good’ items, I can not in good conscious tell you to walk through the door. And I do not give out 2 stars very often, they truly earned this. So A for consistancy.

LJ’s is a small establishment tucked away in a small shopping plaza. As I walked toward the restaurant’s entrance, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Upon opening the doors and entering, I found it to be quite pleasant.
Initially, I thought this was a standard BBQ place that did not smoke its meats. Part of this is actually true, as not everything here is smoked, but oven-​roasted or baked. However, the brisket on the sandwich I ordered was definitely smoked. The menu said it is «finished on the grill,» which I found very odd. But, yes, the brisket did have grill marks on it when served. Whatever. It was still very tender and sliced super thin. It was perfect. The sandwich I ordered came with some kind of runny, bourbon BBQ sauce and was damned sweet (too sweet, actually). I’d recommend the brisket be served with a tangier sauce — but that’s just me.
Otherwise, I had a good experience at LJ’s.
The waitress sold me there was no macaroni and cheese because it was in the process of «cooling.» Ok. Weird. And they did not have beef ribs, corn on the cob, or mashed potatoes available. Keep in mind I ate at LJ’s at 2:30 p.m. on a weekday.
I had read reviews about the pulled pork at LJ’s but sadly I was not in the mood for it when I arrived. I’m a brisket guy and just had to have it.

Ok, LJ’s…I see whatcha doin’ with the ribs and pulled pork.
I’ll admit that I’ve seen LJ’s for awhile now and have had no urge to go in since I already had my go-​to spot for BBQ (United BBQ). Unfortunately, as of last week, United is gonzos and I had to move on…
…It wasn’t easy.
But of course, the lovely people at Unilocal directed me to LJ’s and I must say, I was rather surprised.
Where the place is located is one of my favorite places in Providence… the other side of Hope Street that has great stores like Frog & Toad. Plus, this place is literally 4 blocks away from my place.
If there is one thing that is exceptional about this place, it’s got to be the service. Our waitress/​hostess was so friendly and was so accommodating to all of our questions and concerns.
I ordered the Pulled Pork with their vegetable of the day and of course, collard greens. All of the items were fantastic and the pulled pork was rather succulent.
My BF got himself a half rack of ribs with mac and cheese and fries (wicked healthy right?)
The meal altogether was a little pricier than United but it wasn’t unwarranted.
I know moving on is tough but with places like LJ’s…it might be a little easier.

LJ’s BBQ is one of the best places I have encountered for a superb breakfast platter. Came in for a lovely meal on Valentine’s Day morning (in my opinion, much better than fighting the crowds at night!). We were seated immediately and set up with brunch menus. The exterior of the building is very deceiving. A very hole in the wall appearance.. . The interior on the other hand is very warm and inviting, dark wood, polite and friendly staff.
I enjoyed two scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, and raisin toast. The bacon was delicious. Thick, perfectly cooked, and plentiful. 5+ pieces per plate. The home fries were equally delicious. They are mouth watering and covered with a wonderful array of spices. The entire plate was very flavorful and I look forward to trying some of their lunch and dinner bbq items.
My only complaint and something I could have avoided had I been more awake or aware at the time was that the waitress came over and refilled my decaf coffee the rest of the way with caffeinated. I appreciate when people ask what I’m drinking instead of assuming.
Brunch is served on weekends from 10am — 2pm. A roll of paper towels are placed on each table which I presume are very handy for bbq sauce covered fingers. Plenty of parking in the lot, quick service. I can’t wait to return here!