Boston Barbecue — Restaurant in Lawrence

Edit to my original post: after speaking with the owner, we decided to give Boston Barbecue another try. We ordered the same two meats ( brisket and pulled pork) with collard greens and potato salad. The minute we were served our meals we knew it was not what we had on our first visit. The brisket was moist and delicious with the attached fat which made it tender. The pork was also delicious and we added some of their sauce to it. The collards were cooked perfectly, which isn’t easy. The potato salad was good and we enjoyed every component of our meal. Great job Boston Barbecue! Thank you for responding to my post. We will be back.

Original post: I really don’t like to give such a bad review, but after speaking with friends I decided that it was necessary.

We went on a Friday night for dinner and were excited to try it out as we have had a lot of barbecue in other states and wanted to try a local place. We were the only diners initially and a woman came over to greet us. Not super friendly but informative. We ordered Cajun catfish bites to start, brisket for one dinner and brisket with pulled pork for the other. Both had sides of Cole slaw and beans with a piece of cornbread. We got drinks from the bar and waited for our starter to come. After 30 minutes I caught the server’s attention and asked about the catfish bites. She kind of brushed me off and said they would be right out. There was only one other table of diners and their starter had already come out. Ten more minutes passed and the cook walked by. I asked him about the starter and he said it was probably put in with the dinner order and he would get it right out. I told him I do not like the starter and dinner to come out the same time ( hence the name “starter”) and he said it would be no problem.

Yes it was, as 5 minutes later everything came out together. Ugh. We put the dinner aside and ate the Cajun catfish bites. I expected Cajun catfish to have a seasoning, be a little spicy, something reminiscent of being Cajun. It was plain fried small bits of catfish. Not what I expected but ok not great.

We started our dinners still hopeful. The cornbread was a very small rectangular piece of dry tasteless cornbread with no honey butter which was advertised. The Cole slaw was supermarket quality but edible. I was hoping to have the beef and pork in my beans which it said on the menu, but they were like canned Campbell’s baked beans with no meat. The brisket was so bad- it was incredibly dry and tough and must have been several days old and reheated many times. I couldn’t eat it.

The pulled pork was ok and the best thing on our plates. No one came by to check to see how our dinners were but left the check. They brought boxes which I was happy for as I was bringing the meat home for the dog. I ate one bite from each part of my meal and that was it. Honestly it was the worst barbecue and also the worst meal I have ever had in an establishment. I had to cut the meat into very small pieces for our dog as she is older and her teeth aren’t great. For a lousy meal it wasn’t cheap either - it cost almost $65 for just our food. Sorry Boston Barbecue but that...

This barbeque is phenomenal, hands down the best around. I love a couple other places in massachusetts but they don't do everything they do as well as this (and they're not quite the same regional flavor). I've also been all over the south, but this place is top notch. We've ordered from here a bunch of times and all the meat is tender, smoky and flavorful. We just tried the Mac and cheese bites and fried pickles tonight and they were incredible even though fried pickles generally don't travel well (we got take out). A while ago, we ordered a ton of food from here for a birthday party and they forgot to pack up a couple orders of hush puppies. When I called in to ask about it they apologized and told me to come back in. They then gave me an entire meal container full, which was like 20 hush puppies. Which is fortunate because they are by far the best hush puppies I've ever had, even in Louisiana. It's a simple place in a bar, I wouldn't expect flawless table service, but they make up for it with generosity and amazing food. It will keep us coming back,...

I let my Alabama born and bred wife make her plate first when I got home with my first order from Boston Barbecue. From the next room I suddenly heard, “ohhhhh this barbecue is LEGIT.” That’s high praise from her and I concurred. Excellent ribs, pulled pork, Mac & cheese, collards and beans. Enjoyed both bbq sauces, as well. Can’t wait to try the smoked wings and catfish next. If you love ‘cue, you gotta go here. Her only quibble: she doesn’t understand why we “Yankees” put sugar in our corn bread. I like it to cut some of the saltiness and tang, but she maintains that’s a corn muffin, not cornbread. We’ll agree to disagree. But we definitely agree Boston BBQ is the best...