Botto’s BBQ — Restaurant in Portland

I ordered thanksgiving from botto and it was amazing. The gigantic beef ribs were delicious and turkey was one of the best and moist ive had. The sides and desserts were also very good and i thought that it was definitely be in the top 2 bbq in pdx and hold up to any of the powerhouse bbq spots on the westcoast. Definitely a five star food experience. However what i experienced a few weeks ago was the exact opposite. Ive been wanting to come back to try them again after the amazing thanksgiving meal and was finally around the area. It was getting to 6pm and alot of items were sold out, thankfully they still had brisket left which was what i wanted to try. They said they only had a pound of brisket left. I gladly ordered 1/2lbs of brisket and ribs. The ribs were very good 5/5. But the brisket was more than 60% pure solid fat. I love fatty brisket but this was ridiculous. I felt like i was taking every bite into pure chunks of fat. If all the brisket parts you have left are the excessive fatty cuts, it would be best business practice to not try to pass it off to customers or at least ask them if they d be ok with it. Its quite a shame because the small areas of meat around the fats in the brisket were very good and moist. The side dishes of mac n cheese and greens were good. Service is nice and friendly. However the whole experience and mood was ruined by the excessively fatty brisket that they passed on to me.

update They were so nice to refund my briskets that were all fat last time. They really care about what their customers think and their bbq reputation. So i had to to come back for another try at their briskets. The briskets were very very good. 5/5! Ribs were 5/5 again. Pulled pork was 4/5; the fattier parts were super moist and delicious while the leaner parts were a little dry but still tender. Turkey 3/5 - this was the biggest surprise and let down. As the turkey i had when i order their thanksgiving dinner was one of the best, super tender moist juicy and full of flavor. This time the turkey was still flavorful and tender but a little dry and flimsy.

After this time at botto, they totally redeemed themselves and i would definitely elevate them to tied with Matt’s bbq as the two top bbq places in portland. (These two places are really head and shoulders above all the other bbq places in that get mentioned as top bbq spots...

This paragraph added 3/4/22: Botto's BBQ is the best BBQ in Portland. This was a tough decision to make because I've only been here 4x in 3 weeks but it's very clear. I've also now tried the Mac, Yams and Greens, and Cauliflower Broccoli side. All incredible. I got beef ribs for dinner but ordered the BBQ Parfait as a snack w/ Brisket and Baked Mac and Cheese. I haven't had a flavor explosion like this in months. I don't really have words to describe exactly how the BBQ Parfait tastes but I can tell you that there's nothing like it that I've experienced. If you're considering BBQ, detour and come here instead. Seriously.

(Original review from 2/14/22) Just...Trust this review.

Google tells me that people read my reviews and the scale tells me that I enjoy food. I came into this place as a partnership suggestion from Wolf's Head BBQ in Beaverton. I didn't expect the brisket and burnt ends to be as good as they were. The brisket is even juicy after being refrigerated and reheated. It's sliced, which makes me realize I prefer it over chopped brisket. The pork belly burnt ends (Saturday special, I think) are amazing. They have a ton of flavor and are fatty, but nobody cuts the fat off of burnt ends lol.

On Sunday, I saw that they had Brisket Burnt Ends. Cooked perfectly, and less fatty than the PB Burnt Ends. I also got a Beef Rib. $29 a lb seems expensive until you realize it's enough meat to eat and get full off of and still have enough left over for another meal or serving.

I haven't tried the sides or desserts, yet. But I meant you with this: all of the food has been top-tier BBQ so far. They have 3 sauces: spicy white BBQ, Texas BBQ, and Tamarind BBQ sauce. The Tamarind is something unlike any other sauce I've had and I think it's my favorite. But I'm assuming it's made fresh because it tasted different on the days I went. The first day, it was the best by far. The next day when I went, the Texas BBQ sauce was my favorite. If you like smokey flavor, this BBQ joint is absolutely the place to go in SE Portland.

Edit because I forgot: pickling of the pickles, onions, and jalapenos are the best I've ever had. Anywhere. I ordered extras on day 2 so I can...

I feel cheated and maligned for what we got from Botto's. The quality and quantity is not worth the price. As a former Texan, I'll compare their food to the BBQ fast food chain Bill Miller's.

Brisket: mediocre. The crust was all salt, or at least the salt overwhelmed any other spices. Three thins slices is a pathetic amount. Worse than Bill Miller's BBQ. Sausage: was a hot dog, which we should've guessed when they called it a frankfurter. Hot dog is not quality BBQ sausage. Much worse than Bill Miller's. Sauces: each of two sauce container was only one quarter full, which was a laughably small amount. They only offer three sauces, none of which are any sort of standard/basic BBQ sauce, and then only give you two, which seems unnecessarily cheap (especially for the tiny amount you get). They taste like someone just mixed a bunch of sauces from their fridge, which is fine for midnight home cooking, but not here. Also Texas BBQ sauce is a particular type of BBQ sauce, and their "Texas" sauce isn't even close. It's like ordering french toast and getting avocado toast. Names have meaning. Potato Salad: a copy of Bill Miller's potato salad. Fine, but nowhere close to worth the price. Cole Slaw: similar to Bill Miller's, but creamier. Fine, but nowhere close to worth the price. Beans: these were pretty good. Better than Bill Miller's. Bread: none. Much worse than Bill Miller's.

If we had paid half the price, we'd have been alright with the meal and would have felt it was in line with low-end BBQ in my home state of Texas. Instead, it feels like they are selling low-quality BBQ to PNWers at excessive, marked-up prices.

Even in Portland, there are better and cheaper BBQ places. Don't waste...