Honey Bear’s BBQ

How many ways can you spell DISAPPOINTED!!! I have had better BBQ on a HUNGRY MAN DINNER.
I had a friend in from Chicago this evening who was staying at the ALOFT by the airport. I wanted to impress him with the BBQ at HB’s as he has taken me to some really great places in Chicago. This HB’s was the first one I had eaten at when I first arrived in PHX. I last ate here 2 years ago when I was on Van Buren and the food was great!!! What Happened???
We arrived at about 7:45. When we walked in both men were texting on their cell phones and did not really seem to care much about anything else. The person working the counter a tall man of ethnic origin was kind of aloof and on the rude side. I got the BBQ Chicken and my guest got the BBQ Pulled Pork. Total Cost: $ 19.63 which BTW was a great year. The food was out in 5 minutes so you know a lot of care was taken in the cooking and preparation. The Chicken did not taste fresh. It was soft and moist like it should be but it tasted like a reheat from 2 days past. Presentation was HORRIBLE! My friends pulled pork sandwich was served on a white hamburger bun and the sauce saturated it so much that he could not hold it to eat it. The bun should have at least been toasted.
I was extremely embarrassed as my friend threw more than half of it away.
In the not so distant past I ate at the Honey Bears on Elliot and Priest. It is close to my home and the food was consistently good and we went every other month. I guess every chain has a BRONZE store and I guess HB’s on 5012 E Van Buren St Phoenix, AZ 85 008 is the B@$T@RD child of the chain.
My advice… try someplace else where they want your business and serve FRESH food.
I am Jeff and I call em as I see em!
BTW if you are handicapped they have a ramp but the parking lot is so uneven and has course asphalt, it is a major trip/​fall hazard.

I’ve been slipping by here for over 25 year’s. l moved to LA 17 years ago. brought the fam in today what a complete disappointment… The hot links were boiled not grilled… I asked why and the Asian lady said the grill wasn’t on yet. I asked why she didn’t mention the fact the grill wasn’t on when I ordered them she said she would check if the lady in back could warm them up, I exploded!!! I asked if the place changed hand and she said NO… In the past the boys bent over backwards to please. Not today, not one bro there. I told her to take it back, no apologizing nothing… I even left a 15% tip when I payed at the counter before I had to pick up my food… Sad to say never again… The bros should pay attention to this website as it would help their business greatly. By the looks of it only the reviewers care. The brisket was great, half chicken was dry, corn mushy, and the ribs were good.

Hole in the wall restaurant with excellent tasting food and great customer service (awesome owner at the Van Buren location). Recommend the peach cobbler, delicious!

Honestly I am shocked to read some of the more tepid reviews on here — no offense, but I wonder if they ate at the same place we did? This place was excellent.
My husband and I both think we are individual experts at BBQ. He travels all over the country and tries the ribs everyplace he visits — whoopee. Meanwhile, I grew up in Memphis, attending the Memphis in May cook off every year and visiting award winning BBQ joints the other eleven months. Whichever one of us is right about their superior knowledge of BBQ (clearly I am) we both LOVED the food here.
This is without doubt, as close as I’ve come since I left Tennessee. The pulled pork is smoky and so tender it melts. The Cole slaw was on point — and pulled pork ain’t Memphis style without coleslaw right on the sandwich. The sauce is sweet and tangy and fantastic.
The ribs were smokey and tender. They were so good without sauce that it was a personal struggle deciding to dip or not dip each bite of rib meat.
Don’t go in expecting a fancy dining room and table clothes with this five star experience. However, if you’re looking for really authentic BBQ, this place is the bomb.

I am a huge BBQ fan and this place did not disappoint! I have had BBQ at some legit places in Las Vegas (where I am from) but these guys are the best I have had in years! The meat is tender, the sauce is perfect, the sides are amazing, The staff was unique and the inside was cozy and inviting. If you want authentic Tennessee BBQ done right then this will hit the spot for you! I can’t wait to visit you next time I come to Phoenix! Thank you for a very yummy experience!

The pulled pork sandwich was good, but my wife and I occasionally found fatty pieces mixed in with the lean. We also had coleslaw and mac & cheese, which was overly salty. I would get potato salad instead of mac & cheese if we return there.
For true Tennessee style, the BBQ sauce needs more of a vinegar base. Or at least, a vinegar-​based sauce should be available at the counter, marked Tennessee style.

I would not recommend Not the Honey Bears I remember, counter service sucks. No more bar. If you like eating off a piece of aluminum foil this place is great, if you want a plate and utensils its $ 1.75 per person more. Beer was cheap and cold at 2.75 for a bud lite. Sides were nice and hot but the brisket was cold and the bun was as cheap as you can get. The corn on the Cobb was hot but old. Beans were good, as was the Mac and cheese. The brisket was not tasty at all bbq sauce was runny and tasteless over all I would not recommend coming to honey bears $ 30 bucks for two brisket sandwich with two sides and two beers.

Over priced food, served without a plate, in a real dump. I’m a BBQ lover but I don’t love Honey Bear’s. I had the same impression of the one located in central Phoenix too but wanted to try once more before deciding I didn’t like their food. Decision made.

First off I am extremely picky when it comes to bbq. So I always go into a new BBQ joint with high expectations. I came here with my boyfriend and he just ordered for us. A full rack of ribs, mac n cheese, collard greens, and corn bread. I picked up my first rib and the meat quite literally fell off the bone. It was juicy and exploded with flavor. Collared greens were cooked to perfection, and the mac n cheese was perfect. Oh then while I wasn’t looking my boyfriend decided to order a piece of sweet potato pie… and I am so happy he did. I will definitely be coming back to try as many things on the menu as possible.

I actually was pretty impressed with this place, the collared greens weren’t impressive on this particular visit. Last time, they were amazing but we went an hour before close (7pm) and they weren’t cooked well, I’m sure it’s usually better earlier. The rack of ribs was good as usual, friendly staff, Mac and cheese was alright.
I like the old fashioned style of Honey Bears, reminds me of the scenes in House of Cards where Frank goes to Freddies for ribs… that’s why I like this place. I feel that the sweet potato pie should have been heated up but it tasted fine.
They serve beer. They serve cornbread and peach cobbler. Collared greens and cowbro’s baked beans.
Major knock on what they should but don’t offer: Sweet Tea… this is a southern place that has no sweet tea… so that was my only let down.

I was really not impressed with the BBQ here. I decided to go because I read others’ reviews and most of them said the food was good but my experience wasn’t as fortunate, I guess.
I ordered the ribs and chicken combo plate with greens and Mac and cheese for my son and I. The chicken was very dry, just slathered in sauce. I nor my son wanted to eat it. The ribs were inconsistent. Some were tasty and moist; others extremely dry and chewy. None of them were fall off the bone good. It may be because they weren’t freshly made (when I went in there was NOBODY in there and while I was there about an hour only one other customer came in).
My greens needed salt and lacked the savory taste that greens should give. My mac and cheese was just… not right. I tried saving it at home but it was unsalvageable. But in their defense I am very particular about my Mac and cheese.
Also, there were no options for non-​carbonated drinks; not even sweet tea! I don’t appreciate that. And they were out of cornbread.

Foods pretty good. Counter staff is horrible. We have been here 4 times in the last month and I am completely unsatisfied with the staff. The collard greens are very good. It would be nice if the staff matched the food.

Seriously. This place is dirty and old. It made me lose my appetite, but I was in the door now and my stomach felt compelled to order. No one was inside when I came in at 530pm. Just the cashier and her creepy boyfriend. The cashier wasn’t exactly friendly either. I just got the mac n cheese and shredded bbq chicken sandwhich and can’t even eat it because of how utterly disgusting the place looked. You know how you can’t eat someones homemade food because they look dirty and their kitchen is gross, well that’s how I feel about this place. The cashier «made the food», there was no chef in the kitchen. I think what I ordered was just leftovers heated up. I used to go to the one in Central Phoenix all the time and loved it, but this one is filthy. I’m afraid to eat my food. And now my tummy is growling.

Tennessee BBQ done right, complete with a smoky and spicy bbq sauce. As much sauce as you want! I’ve been a loyal Honey Bears fan over the years, every time I’m in Phoenix, I’ll end up here!
Get the pulled pork sandwich with beans and lots of sauce. Get the mac and cheese too. Put sauce on it. Use the Unilocal coupon, get your grub on.

The ribs are well above average but their pulled pork sandwich is out of this world!
I’ve had BBQ from places all over the U.S. and this little place really stands out in my mind. :)
The reason I didn’t give it five stars is for the location. It’s not in a nice area but the staff is friendly and you can get your food to go.

Decent food but the counter service sucks. The guy running the register seemed to have a chip on his shoulder and was irritated at every question I asked. When I drop over $ 40 for lunch, it would be nice to get a «thank you» or «have a nice day» but you’ll get none of that here. I felt very unwelcome here so I will not be back.

It was my first time at Honey Bears. I went for lunch, so it was around 12:00. They welcomed me in with a huge smile. The staff was really cool and gave me some suggestions. I ordered the one meat and two sides meal. I got the pulled pork, the coleslaw, and the mac and cheese. When my order was called, they also gave me free ribs because I was a first timer and they wanted to see me come back. I thought that was really nice of them. The food was sooooo good. If you love old-​school, messy, lick your finger BBQ you must check this place out. I love that it’s rustic and old too. A very rare sight in Phoenix these day. I will return… many times.

We’ve been here before and the food and service were very good. Today however was a very different story! The young guy taking our order seemed completely confused. We ordered 2 kid meals and 4 adult meals and he only charged us $ 13.95. When we tried to argue and pay the right amount he smiled and just acted like he didn’t know what we were talking about. I hope to god that the owner wises up and fires this idiot. He’s gotta be losing tons of money from this fool! On top of the idiotic service, the ribs were fatty and chewy, the collard greens never saw a ham bone and the corn on the cob tasted like last weeks reheated mess. Definitely don’t recommend this place!

No. just no. I had been to the location about 5 years ago. I forgot why it had been so long. I don’t believe the food was bad 5 years ago.
Well. to start the Mac and cheese was so off base. It tasted almost like instant (although I know it wasn’t) it had that generic made for the long day taste and generic feel to it. Certainly not a home style mix. The ribs were under seasoned. cold. And seemed to be little meat on them. The collard greens lacked flavor and they were cold. And the bun was just sad. I was dumb founded about the sauce as it was very watered down and no kick to it. On top of which the establishment gets a c in cleanliness! I don’t know what happened…

Went in today with my friend. I must say for a joint which specializes in bbqs, the food was below standards.
I took the half pork ribs. Not only the sauce was bad but the meat was hard and not tasty at all. My friend who took the chicken sandwich with hotlinks was equally disappointed with the food.
I’m done with this place and not visiting this again.