Sauced BBQ & Spirits — Restaurant in Livermore

We were here from out of town and the locals had recommended this place as THE best place to eat in Livermore. We went and there was a short wait for tables, but we decided to get drinks at the bar.

We each got a drink, myself a beer and my date a cocktail. That was, unfortunately, the best part of the visit.

When there's a wait, the high-top tables are first-come, first-serve. We spotted one, took our name off the wait, and sat there for about a half hour. We weren't told that to eat there, you had to place your order at the bar. We did that, and we each ordered a soda. They were out of brisket by 8:00 PM on a Saturday, which was probably an indicator of how the rest of the visit would be.

Our ordered sodas didn't arrive until after someone else brought us our food and we were each about halfway finished. I got about midway through my food and found what was quite clearly a very coarse, thick and curly hair (looked just like a beard hair to me - I'm a guy with a beard and I know what I'm seeing.)

I bring this to our waitress' attention (also the woman who made our drinks) and she made no effort at apologizing. Instead, she declared quite loudly and rudely that it wasn't a beard hair, that "none of our male cooks even HAVE beards" and that it was "definitely a piece of corn silk".

I grew up in Lancaster county, and have husked so much corn that I have no desire to ever eat it again. If I squinted really hard and imagined what it would have taken for a corn silk to end up in the fryer, I still couldn't do it. The food that I did manage to eat was bland and mostly flavorless, and my beer was lukewarm from the tap. The total for two people who each had a meal, a single drink, and a single soda was over $30 per person. Way over-priced for the product that we got.

So, crummy service aside, this place seemed to court the worst of what the town of Livermore has to offer - a nearby group of over-served mid-40 year-olds was discussing loudly how "The Bachelorette" featured a contestant who was a friend of someone among the group.

Bottom line: crummy service, over-priced and a rowdy crowd. I won't be back again, and I'll be disputing the charge with my...

I love Sauced. It’s such a great staple of BBQ in the Bay Area.

Honey is from Texas, and this is the closest place we've found to TX BBQ.

We came on a Saturday afternoon before St. Patrick's Day, so a lot of people were bar crawling. The inside was packed. It was a nice day, so we sat on the patio. A few people had their dogs with them on the patio.

On this trip, we went off script and didn’t order BBQ.

We always get the brussel sprouts. They add pork belly to them, making them super savory with a mild touch of sweetness (chef’s kiss). I love their bumpkins, so I had to get those too.

Since the last time we were here, they updated their menu. They brought back the sweet potato casserole, which Honey loves. They also added the jambalaya, which was good as a side dish but not great. It was a large portion, so I see how they could offer it as a main. Honey said it was on the spicier side, but I didn’t feel it.

Honey had the fried chicken sandwich. She got all the toppings on the side and added some of their BBQ sauce to make it her own. She said the chicken was good, and the flavor combination she created made it even better.

The Big Sexy. This is not for the weak. It was packed with flavors but so delicious. The mac & cheese with pepper jack gives you that gooey cheese sensation, the Nashville chicken was a perfect blend of spice and crunch, and the bacon added a little smoky taste. The slaw cut through some of the savory flavors with a hint of sweetness. OMG, it was good. As soon as it got to the table, I had the server give me a to-go box for half. If I had eaten the whole thing, I would have been in a food coma for the rest of the day.

Overall, Sauced is a great restaurant with something for everyone. I always recommend Sauced to anyone...

Disclaimer review written during COVID-19, outdoor dining. Staff has setup all tables with sanitizer, distanced and will completely wipe them down before reseating any party.

Thank you Sauced team for the diligence and helping us get our BBQ fix!

If you've been to Plucked Chicken & Beer this is a sister restaurant. And you will find the famous fried chicken sandwich on the menu. But you won't get the variety of chicken sandwiches here. If that's what you're looking for, I HIGHLY recommend going to Plucked!

We've been working our way around the bay trying brisket, hence our orders:

Sliced Brisket Sandwich - comes on white bread with a hefty serving of brisket. (personally) the bbq sauce was a bit on the sweeter side. We did get a side of freshly jalepenos, which actually complimented the sandwich and really complimented the bbq sauce.

Brisket Chili - was a side order, but we needed to complete the brisket experience. Hands down, not eating chili if it doesn't have brisket. The pieces added a nice bite, and added to the texture of chili.

Rednexican Nachos - now if you're eyes are bigger than your stomach, like mine, you will go for the full plate. BUT IT"S HUGE, enough for another meal, and you won't mind, even if they are nachos. We got smoked chicken, and you can't go wrong - SO juicy!

The nachos have a great balance of flavors and texture and just the right amount of cheese sauce to cover EVERY chip. Thinking about it now, makes me want to get another order!

If you're looking to pair drinks, they have daily specials that are really a DEAL! Other cocktails are on point as well. Wish we were able to spend more time to experience the menu but do plan to come back if...