Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

Tacoma, United States

2.8

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 253-267-1899
Address:
8425 S. Hosmer St. Suite 106, Tacoma, WA, 98444
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.6 miSR512 P&R
2 miSouth Tacoma
2 miPacific Hwy and Montgrove [nb]
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Bike Parking
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
No
Caters
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (Tacoma) 11:21 PM Thursday, May 29, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

In 1941, Travis Dickey opened the first Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Dallas, Texas. Space on the restaurant’s sign was rented out to help pay the start-​up costs for the restaurant and the menu was limited to beef brisket, pit hams, barbecue beans, potato chips, beer, bottled milk and sodas.

Brothers Roland Dickey and T.D. Dickey, Jr. took over the business in 1967, continuing their father’s legacy of quality, hickory-​smoked signature meats. Under the direction of Roland and T. D, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit expanded throughout the Dallas/​Fort Worth area and became a staple in North Texas culture.

Franchising began 1994 to overwhelming success, maintaining quality and consistency, while carefully pushing growth. Roland Dickey, Jr. became President of the company in 2006, continuing the family tradition. The loyal patrons are what keeps Dickey’s thriving in every community. Barbecue is a regional cuisine found in mostly southern states, but Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is changing that one restaurant at a time. As it continues to expand from coast to coast, customers are wooed by the home-​style flavor and family friendly atmosphere.

Today, every location smokes all of their meats on-​site at the restaurant the same way it was done in 1941. Dickey’s serves up beef brisket, pulled pork, ham, polish sausage, turkey breast and chicken, with an extensive array of home-​style sides from jalapeño beans to macaroni & cheese. And just like always, kids eat free on Sunday.

History

Established in 1941.

In 1941, Travis Dickey opened the first Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Dallas, Texas. Funds were so tight, he couldn’t afford his own sign– he had to rent space on either side of the Dickey’s sign to Dr. Pepper!

A lot of hard work and long nights sweating over a hot hickory wood pit paid off, and when Travis’ 2 sons Roland and T.D. took over, the business was up and running at full capacity.

Dickey’s expanded throughout the Dallas/​Fort Worth area and became a staple in North Texas culture.

It wasn’t until 1994, when Roland’s son, Roland Dickey, Jr. became President of the company, that Dickey’s expansion went nation-​wide.

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Vicinity

Near this location:
90
ft
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8425 S Hosmer St Ste B
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Latitude 84
8401 S Hosmer St

20 reviews of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

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Place rating: 2
Tacoma, WA
Probably one of the worst locations to put a store at. Parking is tight and few spots. Lunch was a bit pricy for the portions. Food was actually ok not great. Customer service was excellent.
Place rating: 4
Tacoma, WA
First time here, only came because we had a coupon but will be returning because of the great food. I had the big barbeque plate with green beans and Mac and cheese, hubby had the rib plate with potato salad, Mac and cheese and pecan pie. Very filling and delicious!
Place rating: 1
Tacoma, WA
Rude staff,
Cold Mac & Cheese
Cold Big Barbecue (chicken)
Highly disappointed in a «great» place
Yellow cup club, nice gimmick
Won’t be back.
Place rating: 2
University Place, WA
I really wanted to like this place, solely based on the super amazing manager that was on duty when I went, but I can’t. Unfortunately, the great service did not make up for the horrible food.
A friend and I decided to try this place out because of rave reviews we kept hearing from a co-​worker. The food may have been up to par for him, but it definitely wasn’t for me. The worst thing for me was that the meat was SOOO dry. I ordered the 2 meat plate and got the beef brisket and chicken. I’m a lover of beef brisket and was really disappointed that I had to drown it in bbq sauce to tolerate it. The chicken was wayyyy to dry and I ended up not even eating it. For my sides, I got baked beans and macaroni & cheese. The baked beans were okay, but I didn’t really care for the macaroni. I did think the roll tasted good and the free ice cream cone was a cute touch. However, I don’t think that I would dine at Dickey’s again.
Place rating: 1
Vancouver, Canada
The food at this place is super salty. Not that great. Choices are limited. its basically a fast food chair. They have the 1 to 3 meat combo and it comes with 2 sides, roll and onion and pickle.
So I order the 3 meat. Ribs with ribs and pull pork. the pull pork was tasteless. The ribs were super salty. I also order a drink as well. Its unlimited refills and they put it in a yellow cup. The only issue i have with yellow cups is the plastic smell. Not great. Made the pop yucky
Apparently this place forgot my roll. So went back later to get it. Out of all the food I stuffed in my face at this place, only the roll tasted yummy.
So this place has free ice cream. Well free is free. So no complain. the ice cream is ok.
Décor, like I said is a fast food chain. So don’t expect too much. It is cold but clean.
I am definitely not coming back.
Place rating: 2
Milton, WA
Went in for dinner at about 6pm on a Saturday night and the place was deserted. The restaurant had nice décor, but it was just strange that no one was there. The meats we ordered were tasty. But service was slow considering it wasn’t busy at all. And they told wouldn’t honor the Kids Eat Free deal unless I added two sides to my sandwich, even though my sandwich was already $ 8.95 on its own. I was upset that their marketing for their Kids Eat Free deal wasn’t clear; this was the only reason we came here because we have two kids and Kids Eat Free is a big draw for us. Their sign made it sound like you just have to order an adult item that is equal or greater in value to the kid’s meal, but apparently you have to order an adult item plus two sides for an additional $ 3.75, so then getting a free kid’s meal really isn’t much of a deal in the end. I also thought it was ridiculous that if you wanted ketchup for your fries you had to ask an employee to get you a bottle from behind the cashier counter, they don’t leave any out anywhere.
Place rating: 2
Tacoma, WA
About the only «good» thing I can say about their food is it tastes great! I’ve been there a few times already and not once was the meat even CLOSE to hot! At best, it’s luke warm. And the fact that you have to put your own sauce on it just makes for a messier sandwich. I’ve had better beef sandwiches at Arby’s, where at least the food is hot! And so far, their pulled pork AND their beef have been pretty dry. NEVER JUICY. I guess it would pay to get there when they first open instead later in the day.
I do enjoy the sides here (the hottest items on the menu but still not even hot enough to melt the cheese), especially the baked potato casserole and their baked beans, and the mac & cheese. (Maybe I’ll ask them to microwave my food next time! And yes, the free ice cream is a nice touch (I’d bet it’s ice milk, not ice cream to afford to give it away free).
The prices are pretty steep for what you get, so I only go when my friends are buying. LOL! Nice selection of fountain drinks. Love the atmosphere. Always nice and quiet.
VERY slow employees, even with two people it can take them 15 minutes to get your order ready after you order.
All-​in-​all, the food TASTES GREAT, but only if you don’t mind food that’s kind of dry and NOT HOT at all.
I’m VERY surprised Dickey’s has managed to expand and add locations with luke warm, dry food and such slow service. Just sayin! But my best friend’s wife LOVED them, and it was her favorite barbecue place on the planet! She worked in Auburn, so she ate at the one in Auburn. (Obviously they have hot food.)
As with so many other places I’ve reviewed with a less than perfect score due to cold food or slow service, the manager or someone contacted me and claimed if I provided my phone number and email address, they would like to get in touch with me to make things right and help improve future visits. BUT, like all the others, NOBODY CALLED ME OR EMAILED ME after I provided them with contact information! They were probably wanting to google my phone number or email address to find a picture of me so they would know when I show up again. Certainly had no honest intentions of making anything right with me. Don’t fall for their promises.
Place rating: 4
Tacoma, WA
The food is good, atmosphere relaxed and the staff is friendly. I also love the all you can eat free ice cream cones. The problem is, if you eat all of your dinner, there isn’t room for many cones. I recommend this restaurant.
Place rating: 1
Tacoma, WA
I should have went with my instinct. When I saw the pics of the food online, it looked dry and flavorless. That is exactly what I got! Gross! I order the pulled pork sandwich, mac & cheese, and baked beans. The beans were decent but everything else was dry and awful! Mac & cheese tastes like cafeteria food with over processed cheeses. My husband got the ribs and green beans. Words can’t describe how awful the green beans were and you can barely taste any bacon in them! The kids meals included BBQ chicken which looked like cardboard! I am not even kidding you, straight card board pieces.
We had a groupon for $ 20 worth of food for $ 10. We also went on a night where all kids meals were free. But since we used the groupon they wouldn’t allow the kids meals to be free which made no sense to me! I still ended up paying $ 20 out of pocket. No waitress, everything is «subway» style where they build your order while you stand in line and then carry it to your table.
Will never come back here again and whoever says this place is the best BBQ they ever had is insane! Would rather stay with famous daves!
Place rating: 3
Tacoma, WA
After a long day of studying, I had a major craving for comfort food and decided it was finally time to stop in for some pulled pork. I was in luck as a pulled pork sandwich was the daily special. I selected mac and cheese and coleslaw as my side, and requested additional BBQ sauce. I was surprised by how long it took to get my food, over ten minutes from ordering to paying, despite an empty restaurant. The pulled pork was extremely dry and cold. I was so glad that I had requested extra BBQ sauce or else the sandwich would have been hard to eat without copious amounts of fluid to get the sucker down. The mac and cheese was good, but the coleslaw lacked flavor. Despite slow service and disappointing food, the facility was extremely clean and the staff was friendly. I will likely give the restaurant another try, possibly earlier in the morning, so that the pork is more fresh and not overcooked.
Place rating: 3
Tacoma, WA
I’m updating this again from a 2 to a 3 star because of the quick response from customer service. I wasn’t expected a response but received one and I appreciate businesses who care about their customers so I’m adding a star to this. I’ll be back there with hope that my last visit was an isolated incident.
Place rating: 4
Jennings, LA
Delicious bbq. Clean place and employees were friendly. We have been staying nearby in a hotel so went a few times over a period of 2 weeks. There was one incident that I wasn’t impressed with… there was someone that I believe was a manager that was standing and visiting with people at a table for most of our visit and then an employee walked past her and went and laid down on one of the bench seats which I thought was pretty tacky. The person that I believe was a manager looked and her and said «really?» but that was it.
Other than that, employees seemed nice and professional, and like I said early, it was clean — one employee was even scrubbing the bottoms of the tables while the other girl was taking a nap.
Place rating: 3
Tacoma, WA
My brother, wife, and I came here for dinner after the gym. My wife had a coupon for two free medium sides with the purchase of a family pack meal. We got the beef brisket, polish sausage as our 1 lb of meat and for sides we got mac and cheese, corn on the cobb, mashed potatoes, waffle fries, and BBQ beans. Everything tasted fine, the Polish sausage was kind of cold and the corn on the cobb was not good at all. The rest of the food was good. The brisket was tasty. The sides were good. Service was alright, they were nice and answered all my questions.
I would give the service a 4, the food a 3, and since I can’t give it a 3.5, I decided to round down.
Note: Ice cream is complimentary.
Place rating: 1
Renton, WA
Food was garbage and lukewarm when we finally got all of our portions… Mac n cheese was old. service was not good at all. Looked understaffed for 7 o’clock rush and staff looked messy and not fit to be food handlers enough to make me nauseous an unable to eat the 14 dollar plate I ordered. All in all we wasted 67 dollars on a meal when we should have went to a REAL restaurant… n fyi you might wanna fix the leak in the ceiling which made a pool of water in the middle of the dining area… I love dickies but this particular one was sickening… I’ll try the one in puyallup next time…
Place rating: 5
Tacoma, WA
They have such good customer service, the food is awesome and I was so satisfied. Mmm !! So happy we have one in Tacoma now !
Not only was the ribs and Mac n cheese so good, but you get free ice ream ! Yum.
Place rating: 2
Tacoma, WA
Less than impressed. I gave this place 4 chances. And I’m done. 1st, I would like to say the staff is helpful and friendly. The place is pretty clean and I really like the décor and ambiance.
The first time we went, somebody else paid and it was for lunch. So the lack of portion size vs how much you pay didn’t really hit me. The meal was good, the ribs are average, the mac and cheese is great and the rolls are great too.
The 2nd time we went in, around 5:30 for dinner… and they are out of ribs. Seriously? A BBQ joint is out of ribs at dinner time? Had the brisket instead. Ridiculously small portion for what we paid. And they apparently try to compensate for their over priced meat portions by being generous with side items.
The 3rd visit, again… out of ribs, around the same time of day… unacceptable. So we had the pulled pork. Which wasn’t bad. The sauce made the pork pretty good… but again, ridiculously small portion made this a bad value for the money spent. We had actually bought one of the family meals and got a few meats. All smaller than «family» sized portions. The chicken is average, the sauce made it better. And the cheddar sausage was very dry. I expressed my annoyance and was given a card for a free sandwich on my next visit.
4th and final visit… came because we have a coupon for a free entre with purchase of another entre. Walked in at about 6pm… out of ribs. Again. Turned around and left immediately. Won’t be back to this location.
Place rating: 3
Clackamas County, OR
I feel like a pioneer. I am the first Unilocaler to give Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Tacoma 3 stars, which was their current average prior to my review anyway. Actually, I’d give them a little more, like 3.4 or so, because of the really friendly service. However, it wasn’t enough to make me a fan. Thus, it’s a-​ok.
So you’re driving from the Rose City to the Emerald City and environs and, by the time you get to Tac-​town, you’re hungry. And this place is right there, next to the gas stations as you come off I-​5 at the 84th ramp from which motorists reach many Tacoma businesses including the Tacoma Mall, which is technically one off ramp north of this one.
The issue here is real simple. It’s their portion control. I ordered the two meat lunch and really wanted to dig into some beef brisket and chicken. The duo of staples was decent, though merely tepid. There wasn’t enough of these meats, though. The two sides with which the meal deal came overpowered the main entrees, seemingly both in quantity and taste. The sides were indeed good.
At the end of the meal, you can treat yourself to a small free ice cream cone from the dispenser. They only offer vanilla. That’s kind of vanilla. But, hey, it’s free.
So, in the end, it’s fine but the very nice counter service, a different enough «wagon wheel» sort of ambiance, and the plastic utensils which look like stainless steel (the first time I’ve seen such things) don’t quite counterbalance the beef and chicken mini-​feast I was expecting and didn’t materialize. From pulling up this listing to review the Tacoma location, they appear to be widely dispersed in the Puget Sound area. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is ok.
Place rating: 4
Lakewood, WA
Just went here yesterday around 3:30pm. We were the only ones in the restaurant. I had never been in a Dickey’s BBQ before so it was very different to see that it was a line ordering system. Like a sub shop you start at one end and order your food and sides as you go. For two people (½ Rack ribs+side and Pulled Pork sandwich+side and two drinks) it was $ 25 including Military discount. The server asked if my husband was military which he is and we got a few dollars off which is always nice.
The feel is like a Subway more than a regular restaurant. The portions aren’t crazy big which was nice. I had my sandwich and baked beans with southern sweet tea and it was good. They offer free ice cream cones near the soda machine so that was nice before going back out into the hot weather.
Place rating: 4
Tacoma, WA
Wonderful BBQ on the three times I’ve tried it. Rudy’s in New Braunfels, TX is my gold standard for retail BBQ, and Dickey’s in Tacoma comes damn close. (Why the 4 Stars) Brisket was moist and not all fat, like the other big name BBQ down the road… ribs were tender & not dry. Sweet tea was fresh brewed & perfect to my southern tongue. My choice for BBQ in the South Sound.
Place rating: 4
Fayetteville, NC
Hmm, this is not a BBQ set up like I’m used to. Don’t let that deter you, though. It’s still delicious! First, the portions are just the right size. Everything tastes great!
The set up is a little strange. I went in there for lunch and it wasn’t busy, but I’d compare it to subway. As soon as you enter, you stare aimlessly at the posted menu until you make your choices. Then you get to watch a worker cut the meat in front of you and prepare your sides.
Then you take your tray and grab whatever sauces and your drink. I like beer with BBQ, but they have small fridges with limited bottles behind the counter. I am used to taps at BBQ joints. Next to the drinks, they also have all you can eat soft serve ice cream.
The layout and eating area is amazing, but doesn’t fit with the assembly line, do it yourself service. I can’t imagine how they handle an actual dinner rush, the line would be outside the door after 3 people.
The food is good, I just think this place is confused. It looks and feels like it wants to be an actual restaurant.