GQ's Bar-B-Que — Restaurant in Candler-McAfee

Long, but worth it for a true review. I'd been wanting to try GQs on Gresham for sometime. I'd been their customer when they were located on Metropolitan so I was excited to see if the flavor I remembered had followed them to the Eastside. A few months after the location opened I walked in and sadly my excitement was dimmed by the counter person who explained that ribs were not available for the next hour. A rib place, sold out of ribs at the start of lunch? But que se ra se ra. I chose to dine elsewhere that day. Another month or so went by and while planning a family gathering I was reminded that GQs offered a large family meal for less than $50 so I decided to try again. I entered the establishment an hour after opening and placed my order. I sat down in the waiting area and 15 minutes later was called up to the counter. The cashier explained that they were, you guessed it, out of ribs once again. She said they would be ready in 45 minutes. Knowing that my family was already waiting on dinner I opted to dine elsewhere once again. I figured it was just my dumb luck so I decided to try once again. Third time is a charm after all. However, this time I called the order in. I placed the order at 5:04 PM. I told the order taker I would arrive in 20 to 30 minutes. I arrived at 5:38 PM and guess what, there were no ribs! The cashier explained that they don't hold orders since people call in orders and never show. 4 minutes past my quoted arrival time and my $50+ order had been given to another customer. The cashier said more ribs would be ready in 30 to 45 minutes. I had children to tend to so I let the cashier know either myself or my significant other would return. Approximately 30 minutes later I returned and the cashier looked at me in shock. She said, "I thought you were so mad you weren't coming back!" I explained that although frustrated I never said I wasn't coming back. Unfortunately, my order had been thrown away. I hope that she meant the written order and not the $50 worth of food. So I decided to be forgiving and try the food once a for all so I placed my order albeit less than that of the amount of my original order and waited 15 minutes. Now after what seems like quite the quandary of missed opportunities I was finally going to have the chance to try GQs on Gresham.

I chose for myself the rib dinner with collard greens, for the children the rib tip dinner with double mac and cheese and a chicken dinner with mac and cheese and string beans for my significant other. I added a side of baked beans because I always remembered them being my favorite..

So, here's what I thought: Large meat portion sizes. The sauces are unique and tasty. The collard greens had a decent flavor although a little heavy on the vinegar. Baked beans were pretty standard but kind of sweet. I like them that way but just be warned. Macaroni and cheese, although a good flavor, had entirely too much black pepper. So much in fact there we black spots through out. Unfortunately the kids could not eat it. The chicken was flavorful but a little too over cooked and dry. And there were several feathers that had to be plucked prior to eating. The rib tips were also overcooked, dry and brittle. Even after drizzling a bit of sauce on them they were still tough to consume. The string beans were pretty salty so it was hard to judge the flavor. Lastly, the ribs that I had waited nearly a year to try after two failed attempts and almost a third. The first bite I tried without sauce. They were evenly seasoned with a nice smoked flavor. The meat itself was pretty fatty but very moist. The next bite I tried with a bit of the Gresham sauce. The sauce just gave it an extra kick but didn't take away from the flavor.

So in conclusion I sadly was a bit underwhelmed. Perhaps it was an off night. Maybe the time of day had something to do with the preparation. It just was not the same GQs I remembered. Perhaps I'll give it another try in a couple of...

Let me start by saying, I have one word and that is SUPERB!!!!!!

After a day of errands, Shauni and I were ready to eat. After executing a search on Yelp, I came across GQ BBQ and we decided to pull up. Y’all know I love me some BBQ.

Upon arrival, the location was super to find as it sits on the main road. When pulling into the parking lot there is parking on both sides as well as parking in the back. The outside was clean and vibrant. We knew we were in for a treat as we were able to smell the bbq before even getting to the restaurant. Yes, the power of a good aroma to captivate the sense of smell. 😜

Heading inside, the location kept with the vibrant color on the walls as to draw your eyes to the menu. There are ample seating options as well so if you desire to eat in as we did, there is indoor and outdoor seating.

Taking some time to review the menu, I decided on the Rib Dinner with Baked Beans, Collards, and I ordered two orders of cornbread as well and decided to not get the white bread that comes with the meal. To note, the cornbread is an extra charge. Once our order was placed, we took a seat and enjoyed the games that were playing on the televisions.

As we were engrossed in conversation, before we knew it, our food was ready. I retrieved my plate and headed to my seat.

The moment I opened that plate, my entire life smiled. After being enticed by the aromas, I was now overtaken by the visual presentation of this meal. As I opted for the sauce on the side, I was able to see the ribs in their naked state and capture the full fragrance of seasoned pork without the coverings of sauce. Babeeeeeeeeeee, GQ BBQ showed off with this meal.

Let’s talk the food:

Ribs: well seasoned, tender, meaty, minimal gristle, the right amount of fat for a nice chew, great portion size as the dish comes with ribs and rib tips. The sauce was an added layer of joy. I opted to mix their Gresham blend with the Sweet and my mouth had a full mouthgasm of robust flavors, joy, and excitement. These ribs were the absolute bomb with or without the sauce.

Baked Beans: perfectly cooked, well seasoned, fresh.

Collards: well doctored, tender,perfect pairing for the ribs.

Cornbread: absolute gold status, perfectly sweet, cakey with a light crumble, buttery, golden baked, worth the extra cost. The cornbread is slightly small, so I would suggest getting three. LoL.

Overall, GQ BBQ was an amazing experience. The ribs dominate the meal as they should, however, the sides compliment the ribs very well. The entire meal is a 10/10 and I will be back very soon for another order.

Though I live nowhere near GQ BBQ, I will make sure to make my am way back a few times a year to have my soul fed and taste...

I went to this place for lunch. I personally think this place was overhyped. I got the turkey sammich with baked beans as my side and got an extra 1/2 rack of ribs on the side. The food wasn't delicious, but just ok. Put it this way... enough to make soggy turd. Sonny's bbq was 10x better than this place. I did not expect the sides to be in the same styrofoam container as the main dish. I expected the sides to be in separate containers. When I opened the container, the burger buns were so soggy from the juice and water of the sides. I took 1 bite and threw the food away. If you pay $18 dollars for a burger, how big do u think that burger is? Nah fam... the burger was the size of McDonald's cheeseburger. Not a double cheeseburger, a single. The ribs... Jose in the park on a Sunday afternoon would cook a better tasting rack if ribs. There is a sign on the counter that says something like voted best place to eat in Atl. or something like that. I want to know who the voters are and ask if this was their #1 vote, I want to see what their worst place to eat. Their tastebuds are completely off. Needless to say, I will NEVER, EVER, EVER go to this place again. I didn't even think if taking a picture to upload, I was that disappointed. After dropping over 60 bucks for a burger, a side and a 1/2 rack of ribs and a generous tip and witnessing the complete lack of awareness when it comes to setting up your "to go" order. From now on, I'll go to Popeyes or Sonny's. My humble recommendation, skip this joint and get better food elsewhere. Not only is it a bit on the pricey side, but the amount of portions for the price is highway robbery. Just my...