The People's Pig — Restaurant in Portland

I've heard about this spot for a while now but never had the opportunity to stop in until today. The man behind the cash register seemed nice and the place was old and weathered looking (not in a bad way).

I asked him if they had burnt ends and he said no so I asked why and he said that he thought that people just order them because they're burnt ends and they don't do burnt ends because they use the whole brisket for brisket and any extra pieces from it or the ribs or whatever just goes into their Collard Greens and that the traditional burnt ends with sauces isn't really what they do there...

At that point I figured they must put so much focus into what they've got so it's probably gonna be good.

We ordered Brisket, Ribs, Collard Greens and Macaroni and Cheese and a Coke.

It took about 10 minutes. He brought it out with a side of their BBQ sauce too and the first thing I noticed was the 2 chunks of brisket that were a bit stringy and dry looking. Not traditionally cut but just longer chunks. The ribs had a crusty yet somehow mushy bark. The mac n cheese looked cheesy and the greens looked great.

Tried the Greens first and it just wasn't good. They said they used vinegar and it comes out hot but neither tasted true. It also had hard bay leaves in it as well and I could tell that it just wasn't a good potlicker to begin with.

The mac n cheese was small noodles and cheesy but the cheese tasted fake.

The ribs were surprisingly okay especially with their sauce. As a side note I thought the sauce was decent but I really feel like it could be great.

The brisket was bad. Usually BBQ joints will slice it thin to mask the chewiness but they've decided to cut it incredibly thick to the point that it's just a chew fest. I cut it down a bit as well but it was still chewy and the flavor was just lacking and dry :(

As we were cleaning our table and bussing our own trays the 2 employees were talking a bit of trash about Padnahs saying that their restaurant (The People's Pig) was "way fu#%in better)...

I don't think Padnahs is great but it's better than The Peoples Pig for sure and quite a bit cleaner looking as well and the staff at Padnahs were nice and incredibly informative too.

Regardless The People's Pig is decent and not a horrible price at all. I paid $27.37 + a 15% tip (before ever receiving the meal which I think is absolute garbage but that's another topic) for a total of $32.20. Considering we had to bus our own table and the food was just decent I don't think the 15% tip was justified.

Needless to say I'm still looking for a great BBQ spot in Portland cause again......

The People's Pig is solid bbq with all the flair of pre-Portlandia Portland. It's gritty, it's unapologetic, and the meat is smoky and means business.

First, let's talk portions. For the Portlander swimming in the gilded decay of old Portland caught in the rampant maw of gentrification, this place feeds you like the haunts of yore. Most of the sandwiches with side combos are big enough for two people and only $10. I got the full ribs with two sides for $17 and it was daunting. Being on Williams I was already prepared for a pretentious nightmare. Not so at The People's Pig. This is just good cooking here. Meats are classically smoked. No tuffle aioli mac salad bs, just honest to God comfort food sides. Those black eyed peas though!

Secondly, service. Everyone was friendly and warm. They came off as genuinely glad we were there. Helpful about questions relating to the menu, making suggestions, general jovial banter. Could not complain.

Third and finally, the atmosphere. It's a shack. I'm not going to glorify it because it needs none. Its glory is in its simplicity and character. Surrounded by developer monstrosities and everything else tearing apart and mutilating the neighborhood, The People's Pig is like an ugly poke in the giants eye saying, "shove of, all we want is to make food that makes people happy."

Is it the best bbq I have ever hard? Of course not. But it does not have to be. All it has to do is be honest and genuine with their patrons and I think they do...

before reading this: i recommend russell street bbq. they are everything this place isn't. russell st costs more but it is worth it.

decent food, half-decent dining area (pretty bad but cozy vibe cuz it is dark, they blast old rap music on repeat. we would have gone outside but smells like car fumes and there was a lot of cotton floating in the air), very awful service. got the combo which is 3 trays of everything on the menu. i liked the brisket, at least i think it was brisket. ribs were tasty, but dry and hard to swallow. i was especially looking forward to the smoked/fried chicken, but that was probably the least popular thing other than the lamb for everyone in my group, not good. the fries are really good.

the service was not good. the dude at the register was deadpan as hell. you are supposed to clean your own table after (we left all our stuff on the table but left a tip). you are supposed to get your own water from a metal keg thing with a spout at the bottom, while the top is exposed to the air and flies. the water tastes like pool water by the way. you may want to get some beer instead...maybe they did this intentionally so you buy beer. all in all, pretty bad experience but not hopeless. if you are a hipster freak and like hole in the wall type places then maybe you can look past the food, but if you are a normal person, or better than normal, you will probably not like...